Richard Anthony Wippel is fighting an uphill battle.
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He has diabetes, a prosthetic left leg and this year lost a toe on his right foot, among other chronic health conditions.
As a tenant of a Department of Families, Fairness and Housing home in Echuca for seven years, Richard thought he had a safe place to stay that was suitable for his needs.
However, when he returned home from a stay in hospital in back in February, he found his house severely damaged by squatters.
After receiving threats from the squatters, including a physical assault whilst Richard was defenceless in his wheelchair, he followed the recommendation of local police.
As suggested, he made the move to Seymour to stay with his sister, Tina Anderson, whilst waiting for a new home.
Richard made an application for a priority transfer of special needs housing and was placed on the register with DFFH for the Seymour area.
Five months later, Richard is still waiting.
Tina’s house in Seymour is packed to the rafters. Nine people live at the house, including Tina’s two autistic children and her parents in-law. Tina and her husband sleep on the couch.
Tina’s home is not suitable for Richard’s physical requirements.
The home has many stairs and no wheelchair access. The shower is located over the bath. It requires a large step over the tub to enter. There is no room for his shower chair.
There is a step in and out of his small bedroom. This is makes night time bathroom trips, which are frequent due to diabetes, more difficult. Richard must first fit his prosthetic leg.
Once he makes it to the bathroom, there is no railing to help him balance near the toilet.
As a result, daily activities such as walking and bathing are leaving Richard in severe pain.
“I have to wear the prosthetic leg more often because the house isn’t wheelchair accessible, I’ve got ulcers on the stump, I should be taking the prosthetic off and resting it,” Richard said.
“I’m buggered, I can’t walk very far. But, you’ve got to do, what you’ve got to do, in the meantime.
“That’s why I can’t wait to find my own place.”
Without housing, Richard’s life is at a painful standstill.
Unfortunately, he is not alone.
There are 58,000 households urgently in need of housing in Victoria, with 31,000 of those on the priority list.
As of March 31, there were 363 applications on the Victorian Housing Register that had listed Seymour as one of their five location preferences.
Richard’s other sister, Gail Short travels to Seymour to visit the family. She contacted The Telegraph looking for help.
“My sister is so tired, she’s got her hands full. He needs his own home and some help so he can be as independent as he can be,” Gail said.
“The way there is homeless people… it’s not just my brother.”
Victoria’s social housing supply has been in decline since 2014 when social housing made up 3.5 per cent of all households across the state.
An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report released on Friday, July 14 revealed that social housing made up just 2.9 per cent of Victoria’s residential properties, the lowest percentage of social housing in Australia.
For Richard, the Victorian Government’s recent commitment to a $1 billion fund to build 1300 new social and affordable housing homes in rural and regional Victoria is of little solace.
“I can’t understand why it’s taken so long. I don’t think it’s fair that it’s been five months; I know there are flood victims too, but I’ve heard that there is housing around,” Richard said.
“I don’t know, it comes down to the fact it’s specialist disability accommodation, but it’s not hard to put ramps or rails in the toilet and areas to help me.
“Everything is a waiting game, just waiting, waiting, waiting.
“When? If you’ve got an idea, at least you know where you are at.”
In a statement, the DFFH said that they have been working to find a long-term housing option that meets Mr Wippel’s needs.
“We know there is an urgent need for social and affordable housing right across Victoria, which is why we’re building thousands of homes under the landmark $5.3 billion Big Housing Build,” the spokesperson said.