Homeless living in tents, caravans in Wangaratta as housing shortage intensifies

A handful of tents are pitched along the Ovens River in central Wangaratta. (ABC Goulburn Murray: Anna Chisholm)

For most of the past 12 months, Ashley (whose name has been changed for privacy reasons) has been living in a tent pitched between eucalyptus trees by the Ovens River at Wangaratta in north-east Victoria. 

The handful of tents dotted among the vegetation along a stretch of river close to the town's centre are visible from a public walking track.