Peter has been forced to take a drastic measure because of the cost-of-living crisis. He’s so ashamed, he doesn’t even want his children to know
An Australian father has become the latest victim of the housing crisis as he is forced to live in a tent, admitting his own children are not even aware of his living situation.
Peter Woodforde said his children would be devastated to see him living in a garden shed wrapped in tarpaulin in Adelaide’s north-east.
With the vacancy rate at around one percent and housing so expensive, the 58-year-old is calling for more to be done to help people living on the streets.
Mr Woodforde’s teenage daughter, who lives with her mother, previously told him it “hurt her” to know her father was struggling.
But what hurts Woody even more is the knowledge that he cannot take care of his children.
Peter Woodforde, or Woody as he is affectionately known, said his children would be devastated to see him living in a tent in Adelaide’s north-east.
“Every parent wants to give their children everything they can and give them the best chance at a good life,” he said. 7News.
Mr Woodforde assures his children that their father will get back on his feet, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is missing out on ‘some of the golden years’.
“I help where I can, I might pick them up and drop them off from school, but now they’re too far for me to do that,” he said.
As inflation continues to hit hard, Adelaide’s rough sleeper shelters are operating at full capacity.
A recent Salvation Army survey of around 1,500 Australians found one in three people feared becoming homeless, while 94 percent resorted to extreme measures to save money.
The report found that 49 percent of people showered less often, 22 percent used candles and torches to reduce their electricity bills and 11 percent used public facilities such as bathrooms in shopping centers to avoid using water at home.
About 13 percent of families said their children went to school hungry, and seven percent said the children went an entire day without eating. Meanwhile, 69 percent admitted they went without food so their children could eat.
On average, people were left with just $8 a week after paying for essential costs such as housing, utilities, medications and groceries.
Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle said Australia was seeing a “tsunami of need” across the country.
Mr Woodforde dropped out of school after losing his brother and eventually became homeless
“The lengths people go to to make ends meet are shocking and unnecessary in this country,” he said.
‘It is scandalous that eight in ten respondents live below the poverty line.’
Mr Woodforde is calling on the Government to do more and says there has been enough talk.
‘What if people suddenly die while they are on the street? What will the government say then?’ he asked.
Mr Woodforde said he rebelled and left school after losing his brother to leukemia while on a school trip as a 10-year-old.
He said he found it difficult to find a job and eventually became homeless.
He has been sleeping rough for about five years now.
Desperate to turn his life around, Mr Woodforde recently launched ‘Woody and Skip’, selling prints of poems about homelessness, to try to help other people who are struggling.
“I believe I’m meant to have been through all of this, so I have the knowledge base (to help others),” he said.
He recently contacted Anglicare SA for assistance and is awaiting follow-up support.
Rotary clubs in South Australia have collected collection bags to donate to people sleeping in cars, tents or under verandas