Maxine Carriage is the new face of homelessness in the Shoalhaven.
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She has called a tent on the banks of the Shoalhaven River home for the past two weeks.
Tucked away on the river bank, under the shadow of the levy bank off Riverview Road, she has survived with help from friends, the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub and local Aboriginal service Waminda.
She is one of a growing number of local residents living rough.
Having moved from Victoria back to her home town of Ulladulla in 2013 to be closer to her children, she has been unable to secure permanent housing.
When her daughter lost her Housing Department home in Ulladulla, Maxine, her ex-partner, daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter were placed at the Riverhaven Motel in Nowra.
They stayed there for around 10 months, with the family since moving on and separating.
“It’s been pretty tough,” said Ms Carriage, who has seven children aged from 16 to 25 and suffers from debilitating illnesses lupus and pancreatitis.
“We were all just getting back together as a family, now we are all split up again.
“My daughter and son-in-law are camping on the floor of a friend’s caravan, another lives in Bomaderry with friends and another in Ulladulla.”
Maxine sleeps in the tent, cooks on a small gas stove, and uses the nearby public toilets.
Occasionally she has been able to use showering facilities at the nearby caravan park.
She has attracted the ire of local rangers who have advised her she is risking a $120 a day fine by staying in the location.
“What choice do I have? There just doesn’t seem to be any housing, and we can’t afford to stay in a caravan park,” she said.
“I have nowhere else to go.
“I don’t want to have to live in the middle of nowhere without a toilet.
“If it wasn’t for the team at the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub, who have allowed me to use their facilities like the shower and phone, recharge my mobile and provided me with food I don’t know where I would be.
“I have also been able to access services at Waminda and they provided me with my tent.”
Shoalhaven Homeless Hub manager Kerri Snowden has renewed calls for a 40-bed government facility, sitting idle in the Shoalhaven as part of the South Coast Correctional Centre, to be made available to homeless people.
The Community Offenders Support Program centre was established to provide accommodation and support for parolees to transition back into the community, yet it has never opened.
“That centre could certainly be used for short term emergency accommodation,” she said.
The Shoalhaven Homeless Hub has been funded by the state government until January 31, 2016.
In the first seven months of operation it was scheduled to see 156 clients, but since opening in November has already dealt with 119 clients, providing close to 250 services.
From July 1 this year until the end of January next year it is scheduled to service 137 clients.
Ms Snowden fears when the funding is further reduced from July 1 this year it will become much harder to support the area’s homeless people.
“What are we supposed to do? Just turn people away?” she said.
Ms Snowden said any local residents who would like to help the Homeless Hub with food vouchers, toiletries or any furniture in reasonable condition should contact the hub any day except Monday on 4421 8741.
