A cold tent is no place to grieve, but there are no other housing options for new widow Cheryl Rowe in Margaret River, one of Australia's best-known tourist towns.
Her neatly kept tent was filled with flowers the day after the funeral of Peter, her partner of more than 30 years.
The caravan park in south-west WA is her temporary refuge after the house she rented for five years was sold.
But she cannot stay long.
Only a compassionate reprieve from the park's owners has allowed her to stay on during next week's school holidays, when the town will be heaving with visitors.
Housing advocates say the influx of tourists these holidays has again highlighted the extent of Margaret River's housing crisis.
Nowhere to go
Ms Rowe's partner Peter died from cancer as she and her adult grandson sought somewhere permanent to live.
"It's very cold, and the weather hasn't been the best here, so we just have to keep wrapped up and warm," she said.
"It's not a nice place to grieve at all."
Ms Rowe, a cleaner, said the holidays were a further stress, as until a few days ago, she thought she would have to leave because of tourist bookings.
The 63-year-old said managers of the caravan park were doing their best to help.
"They are willing to move my tent for me to an unpowered site for two nights [during the school holidays]," she said.
"Next Monday, they'll put me on a powered spot on a caravan spot, which will probably be better than living in a tent."
Ms Rowe, a New Zealand national, has lived in the Margaret River area for five years.
"It's very disheartening," she said
School holiday stress
Just Home advocacy group chairperson Naomi Godden says Ms Rowe's situation is heartbreaking but increasingly common.
The most recent Real Estate Institute of WA data shows the vacancy rate in the regional centre of Bunbury is just 0.3 per cent and is likely even lower in Margaret River and Busselton.
Ms Godden says the long-standing housing crisis is exacerbated every school holiday break, as even temporary accommodation is no longer an option.
"We know families who've been living in a tent in the bush for several months, if not a year," she said.
"We've been advocating for several years now for a community-run camping ground of some sort, with leadership from either the local or state government, and nothing has been forthcoming."
Shire president Paula Cristofanini said the shire had worked with Just Home over several years to look at options and was also pushing for developers to consider affordable housing when building new homes.
"The council is aware that the minister is reviewing social and affordable housing in the South West this year and will be looking at requirements and innovative solutions for the region," she said.
Tourism providers feel the strain
Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association joint chief executive officer Sharna Kearney said the housing crisis was affecting every sector, including tourism.
She said businesses were battling to find anywhere permanent for staff to live.
"Everyone sees the human side of this housing shortage," she said.
She said the situation was complex, as caravan park operators were not allowed to have short-term guests for more than a certain time, and there were limited permanent spots.
Ms Kearney said it was not right to blame legally registered holiday homes for the permanent housing crisis.
"If we're looking at high-end coastal areas, like Eagle Bay or Prevelly, holiday homes there are not going to be taking inventory away from the affordable residential market," she said.
She said it would be inappropriate to have holiday homes in locations such as Vasse or Brookfield "because that is absolutely an area where you would find affordable residential, long-term accommodation".
She said there needed to be places for tourists to stay and locals to live but there was no silver bullet.
No home to go to
Ms Rowe said as a New Zealander she was not eligible for government assistance.
She said something needed to be done to improve the availability of affordable housing in the private rental market.
All her life she had worked — and had been able to rent a property.
She said the hardest thing had been not being able to provide a home for her partner as he was dying.
"To have your partner turn around and say to you, 'Look, I want to come home, please'," she said.
"He said, 'Make this promise to me that you won't let me die in hospital'.
"I couldn't keep the promise. I feel as though I've let him down."
State says it's doing all it can
The state government has stressed it is not responsible for the private rental market and is doing all it can to increase social housing, adding 707 dwellings across WA since July 2021.
In a statement, Housing Minister John Carey said Ms Rowe did not have an application for housing assistance with the Department of Communities.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted and changed the housing market throughout Australia and across the world," he said.
"It's no secret the heated construction market has created challenges, including for government, along with the subsequent private rental shortage."
Mr Carey said more than 900 new social homes were being built.
The operators of the caravan park have been contacted for comment.
