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In the back of a station wagon, Jaki Rose prepares for the workday.
This isn't where she thought she'd end up. The 58-year-old was a married stay-at-home mum to four, but then in 2019 her relationship broke down.
For the past 18 months she's been living out of her car.
"I couldn't afford the rent," she says.
Driving from car park to car park in Redcliffe, north of Brisbane, Jaki — who works as a chef — has lately been parking up at a local boat ramp.
She's one of 20,000 people in Queensland who are homeless.
Between a rock and a hard place
Jaki works 25 hours a week in the kitchen at a local brewery.
She relies on services provided by charities — a hot meal, shower and laundry facilities.
"They really are geared toward unemployed people so there are days where I don't have access to laundry or a shower," she says.
Jaki earns too much to eligible for social housing.
Because of penalties she brings home more than $609, which is the state government's maximum earning threshold to be eligible for social housing.
"If the means testing stayed with CPI, inflation and pay increases I would've been bound to have qualified," she says.
A familiar story
The Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) is the state's peak body for community services.
Its chief executive, Aimee McVeigh, says Jaki's situation is not an isolated one.
"The housing crisis we are currently experiencing is the result of decades of policy neglect by successive governments," she says.
The income eligibility testing for social housing is also too low according to Ms McVeigh.
"Queensland does have really strict financial requirements," she says.
Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon told the ABC she asked the department to review income limit thresholds.
"I understand that work is ongoing," she said.
By comparison, single adults in New South Wales can earn up to $780 a week and still be eligible for social housing.
When Queenslanders do get on the waitlist, they're waiting almost two-and-a-half years to get into a property, according data from the Queensland government's social housing register.
In recent years there hasn't been an affordable rental market to turn to.
"A third of Queenslanders rent and right now we know there are not enough affordable rentals in the private rental market," Ms Mcveigh says.
Recent CoreLogic research shows the median cost of rentals in south-east Queensland rose by just over 8 per cent from 2022-2023.
For Jaki, even cheaper options like living in a share house are out of reach.
Election promises
The government and state opposition have both made social housing a large part of their plan to address the housing crisis.
The Labor government has committed to building 53,500 new homes for social housing, alongside purchasing existing rental properties to provide affordable homes.
The state opposition has also committed to that construction target.
If elected, the LNP will also partner with not-for-profits and churches with vacant land for the construction of affordable housing, which they claim could lead to 10,000 new homes being built.
The Greens party has also announced a plan to establish a public property developer to build 100,000 homes over the next six years available to rent or buy at "below market prices" to anyone who doesn't already own a home.
It says the plan would save renters $9,000 a year, and first home buyers $225,000 off the purchase price of an average home.
Jaki isn't convinced any of these plans would help someone in her situation.
"I don't think anyone is offering anything," she says.
"I just want to see the means testing change."
After enquiries by ABC News, Jaki was contacted by the department of housing and put into temporary accommodation.
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