A property ultimatum has left about 30 permanent residents at an Aussie caravan park facing an immediate slide into homelessness.
Retirees and pensioners at the Five Ways Caravan Park in Melbourne have been ordered to pack their lives into boxes and get out by August 25.
Located in the city’s southeast, the park is slated for complete demolition and redevelopment after the operator chose not to renew the lease.
The news is a financial blow for residents like Murray, 72, who poured $65,000 of his life savings into buying his cabin eight years ago, only to discover he will receive zero compensation.
“This was meant to be my forever home,” he told A Current Affair.
Instead of a relocation payout, the former Department of Human Services worker will likely have to pay thousands of dollars out of his own pocket just to have the physical structure removed from the land.
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About 30 permanent residents at an Aussie caravan park facing an immediate slide into homelessness. Picture: A Current Affair
Retirees and pensioners at the Five Ways Caravan Park in Melbourne have been ordered to pack their lives into boxes and get out by August 25. Picture: A Current Affair
Fellow resident Lynette faces the same nightmare. She said the cabin could be moved, but questioned where she was supposed to move it to.
“Where am I moving it to?,” she said.
“Nobody cares, there’s no support. I’ve written to so many people.”
Caravan parks have long served as an unofficial last line of defence against homelessness across Australia, with an estimated 10,000 people living permanently in them across Victoria alone.
For 86-year-old Nita, who had lived at the park for 35 years, the eviction order has forced her to pack her belongings into boxes while weeping into her hands.
“All my glassware and my crystal, everything’s gone. Everything’s gone,” she said.
Lynette said the cabin could be moved, but questioned where she was supposed to move it to. Picture: A Current Affair
86-year-old Nita had lived at the park for 35 years. Picture: A Current Affair
The shock closures are hitting a zero-vacancy market, leaving vulnerable residents with nowhere to go.
Garden maintenance worker Jeff, 59, has spent weeks ringing every caravan park in the region after living at Five Ways for 17 years.
“I was homeless when I came here … could end up homeless when I leave,” he said.
“I’ve rang all the caravan parks in the area, and there’s nothing. I’ve looked at rental properties … minimum $300 a week.
“And then you turn up to the inspections, and there’s dozens of people there. I’ve spoken to friends, nobody … there’s … I don’t know what else to do.”
The eviction has also destroyed a deeply connected suburban community.
Giuseppe, 49, moved to the park to start fresh after hitting rock bottom, transforming a patch of grass into a thriving vegetable garden and cooking meals for his neighbours.
“I will squat here if that’s what it takes in order to stay around the local area,” he said.
Jeff has spent weeks ringing every caravan park in the region after living at Five Ways for 17 years. Picture: A Current Affair
Giuseppe moved to the park to start fresh after hitting rock bottom. Picture: A Current Affair
The crisis has triggered a political debate over Victoria’s affordable housing shortage.
“There should be housing for these people, but clearly there is not,” Opposition Shadow Housing Minister David Southwick told A Current Affair.
“It is beyond belief that in a decade, this government has only delivered net 36 dwellings into Victoria when it comes to affordable homes.
“No wonder Victorians have nowhere to go.”
In a statement, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing said: “People who are impacted can access practical help including information on housing options, removalist funding, and assistance applying for the Victorian Housing Register.”
A nearby caravan park has already taken in Five Ways residents.
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