Bec Darby is facing the terrifying prospect her disabled son will end up in care and she and her two young daughters will be left homeless after being given just 10 weeks to find a home.
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Single mum Bec, 33, has lived for the last seven years in a private rental property in NSW's Illawarra region with her 14-year-old son Hunter and her two daughters, aged eight and two.
Hunter uses a wheelchair due to an incurable disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and their rental had been modified with the landlord's permission to meet Hunter's needs.
Now the family are facing the impossible task of finding a rental suitable for a wheelchair. With affordable rental accommodation almost impossible to come by, especially for people with accessibility requirements, she fears the prospect of homelessness will soon become a reality.
The family was notified on Monday they had to vacate due to the landlord needing the property back for family reasons.
"It's not only that I have to find a house, which is hard enough," Bec said.
"But having a child in a wheelchair, I have to find a house that's suitable for toileting and access. Landlords may look at us and think we're not suitable ... people may think the wheelchair damages floors."
It's really, really scary.
- Bec Darby
Bec said she understands the rental crisis is impacting everyone and holds no angst against her landlord's decision. But herself and Hunter feel people with disabilities are left out of the conversation when it comes to housing options.
"People in wheelchairs get thought of as just their disability and not as a person," Hunter said.
While tenants are able to make reasonable alterations to rental homes, many just aren't accessible. A single stair or a raised lip into a bathroom could rule out the property for people who use wheelchairs.
"There needs to be more suitable homes for people living with disabilities more than anything," Bec said.
"People are being left with nowhere to go but with a child with a disability I can't just apply for everything and hope for the best."
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In a desperate search for assistance, Bec has reached out to several support services who have suggested to either put Hunter into care, or stay in a refuge for 30 days.
"And that's just not viable," Bec said. "What else am I supposed to do?"
Housing Trust chief executive Michele Adair said it's a sad indictment that there are no building standards in New South Wales that require developers to make new homes accessible.
"We're missing opportunities. Not every property is suitable for ramp access or for adaptation for people using wheelchairs or walking frames ... or even those with vision impairments," Ms Adair said.
"I'm afraid that yet again, the most vulnerable people in our communities are further disadvantaged."
Ms Adair added that even with referral and support systems in place, the bottom line is that there is a chronic shortage of homes.
"And that's why we've been continuing to call on council, state and federal governments to take urgent steps and to find short term solutions," she said.
"And not just building properties that will take three to four years to complete."