Anisha Wolf and her family "just want a home".
She's been living with her four children, aged between four and 10, in a small room under her mother's house in Tasmania's north-west for six months.
"They need space to run around, they need their own rooms," she said.
"I just feel guilty that I can't do any more than what I am. I am trying so hard to give them a home and get security."
Ms Wolf said she's been on the social housing waitlist for more than two years — and listed as a priority applicant since June last year.
Since leaving her private rental in October after the owner decided to sell, she said she'd applied for about 20 other rentals, but has been knocked back each time.
"You get through the approval process and you go and view the home and there is 30 other people viewing it with you," she said.
"I do have four children and a labrador which I guess makes it not very appealing to many people but I do have references and a clear credit check.
"I just would like security. We just want a home."
Tasmania's rental vacancy rates remain low, particularly in the north-west city of Burnie, which has the tightest market in the state — just 0.4 per cent of rentals were available in February, according to the state government's housing dashboard.
Opposition calls for short-stay pause
Ms Wolf is one of more than 4,500 Tasmanians on the housing register, and Braddon Labor MP Anita Dow said it was "not good enough".
"We talk a lot about the numbers but this is about people, this is about Tasmanians. This is about them having access to secure accommodation — a place to call home," she said.
"There are far too many Tasmanians, right now, no matter where you look, that simply don't have that."
She said Labor wanted to see a pause on any new short-stay whole home permits in an effort to ease the pressure.
"This government has had nearly a decade to address the issues with housing, and they've announced a lot but delivered very little," she said.
Government minister Felix Ellis said a ban on short-stay accommodation "will do nothing to build homes and ease housing stress across the state."
"We are increasing the supply of social and affordable housing through our $1.5 billion commitment to deliver 10,000 homes over the next decade, and are on track to meet our target of 1,500 homes by June 2023," Mr Ellis said.
"We understand that some people are doing it tough and while I cannot comment on individuals, we are getting things done to build homes as fast as possible."
