Single mother of two Monique will be homeless on Friday because she has to leave her rental home, has been priced out of the area, and has not been able to find another home.
She is one of more than 50,000 people, or 31,000 households, on Queensland's social housing register.
The number of households on the register has increased by 78 per cent since 2018.
The Queensland Audit Office (QAO) released a report on Tuesday saying the state government was failing to properly monitor the social housing register, to build enough new social housing, and to model future housing demand.
It found that as "the private rental market becomes more competitive, many Queenslanders will struggle to access secure and affordable housing".
Mental health toll of housing crisis
Monique, who did not want to provide her surname, lives in Mansfield, south-east of Brisbane, with a son who has autism and another who is in year 12, and two pets.
"I've been preparing for nowhere to go. I've never ever, ever been in that situation, and I'm a mum just doing my best for my kids," she told Rebecca Levingston on ABC Radio Brisbane.
"The mental health crisis attached to this.
"We need help for our kids. We're just trying to do the best for our kids."
Monique said the rent in her area had tripled in price and she had considered "a whole life change", having researched buying a motorhome. But they too were "so expensive".
She has booked a storage unit to put all of their belongings in.
"I feel like I'm being told, as just a person trying to do her best, that I'm being pushed out," she said.
"I have a beautiful care team, there are some wonderful people out there, beautiful people, but you know they can't do much more than what they're doing.
"It's the system. There's a lot of failures in a lot of areas and I feel isolated and unheard in this area.
"No one should go through this feeling."
Monique spoke about the mental and physical toll the situation had placed on her.
"I know other people get it, I really do. I feel that the people that make the decisions maybe don't and I don't want to just be collateral damage, you know?"
Minister 'ended up in a caravan' herself
When Queensland's housing minister Leeanne Enoch was asked on ABC Radio Brisbane for her thoughts on Monique's situation she said her "heart was absolutely breaking for her".
"I've personally been in that situation," she said.
"So I know what that feels like. I mean, I was lucky, I had the support of my family to get to the next stage."
Ms Enoch was asked if Queensland's priorities were correct given the government had found about $500 million to rebuild the Gabba stadium for the 2032 Olympics.
She said "for Queensland it's all about making sure that we've got good jobs, that our services are better, and that we continue that great lifestyle".
"That's why we've seen record investment in health this year, that's why we saw record investment in housing last year, and why we've seen rapid investment in education," Ms Enoch said.
The state government last year committed to build 6,365 new social housing dwellings by 2025, but the QAO report said this would not be enough to meet demand.
More living in tents, cars, hotels
Queensland Council of Social Services chief executive Aimee McVeigh said the government needed to be building 5,000 social and affordable homes every year for about ten years to start making a difference.
"We're the peak body for community organisations in Queensland so our members are the ones on the frontline everyday dealing with more and more Queenslanders living in tents, in cars, and hotel rooms," she said.
"We are seeing lots of families who would never have imagined that they were experiencing housing insecurity — people who are working, rents have increased, or they've been evicted from properties and they just cannot find a place to move in to."
Ms Enoch said the government were also looking at quick solutions they could put in place.
"That's why I announced recently that the department will be going out for tender for prefabricated homes," she said.
"That's why we're working with local councils right across the state on local community housing action plans, to unlock councils' ability to ensure that we can put these tiny homes on these properties.
"That's why I've increased the amount of the rental security subsidy, and for people like Monique who could secure up to $10,000 over 12 months to sustain her current rental or to secure another rental.
"We're building as much as we can as quickly as possible."
