Indigenous Elder Dies on Waitlist, Family Still Struggles

0:00It's March 15th. Here's your Sydney news in two minutes. A 61-year-old indigenous elder undergoing cancer treatment has died after nearly three years on the public housing wait list in, Calgorlae Boulder, Western Australia. Despite being priority listed for a one-bedroom seniors' unit since July 2023, he spent his final day sleeping on a mattress in his, niece's lounge room, relying on oxygen tanks. His daughter shared that the family often couch-surfed at friends in relative's places, even sleeping in cars together during desperate times. She believes the instability added huge stress that worsened his condition, turning a happy family man into someone who lost the will to fight his. Igleness, the family is still struggling, with the daughter and her 20-year-old daughter also priority listed since September 2024. They live in a three-bedroom house, crammed with 10 people, including some in a backyard 10, and others on Carpore mattresses. Meanwhile, the local indigenous housing group reports nearly 400 people on its wait list,

1:02facing seven to 10-year delays amid severe shortages. Overcrowding and couch-surfing plague the area, with many homes boarded up despite demand. According to officials, 235 applicants are priority listed across the Goldfields region. The department has added 54 social housing units since 2021 and refurbished hundreds, but over 15% of properties sit. Making for various reasons, fueling calls to speed up fixes and allocations for those in dire need. Quick thanks to today's sponsor, see the description for more. If sleep podcasts are your thing, this is your pillow, built for comfort and calm, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.