A family who has spent four Tasmanian winters shivering in a tent and run-down caravan on their property have a new home thanks to the generosity of the community.

Edward Whiteside and his sons Jasper, 14, and Shamus, 13, have been living on their property at Weetah in a tent after the cost of living and the spiralling costs of building locked them out of their dream of building their own home.

Effectively homeless, the matter has been compounded with Edward's health battles, with the father-of-two receiving treatment for lung cancer in Launceston, which is 40 minutes away with transport. The family has also battled COVID-19.

However, their nights will be significantly warmer after a GoFundMe petition started by Deloraine business owner Tamika Bannister surpassed its $40,000 goal and the family travelled with Ms Bannister to purchase a new caravan.

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The plight of Edward and his sons was revealed when Ms Bannister's father, who is a snake catcher, was called to the property at Weetah, which is 40 minutes from Launceston and 10 minutes from Deloraine.

He found the trio tucked away at the back of their rural block with the tent and caravan, which was in a state of disrepair.

Edward and his boys had taken to sleeping in the tent after an encounter with a snake that left them worried for their safety.

Ms Bannister said when she'd heard about their living conditions from her father she was just so shocked it spurred her to action.

"I just couldn't really fathom it. That we are living in 2022...when Dad found them, they weren't complaining, they didn't want handouts, but those boys looked at me and I knew I couldn't just leave them there and do nothing," she said.

Ms Bannister said the family all piled into her family's car a fortnight ago to trek to Coastal Caravans at Somerset to pick up the new van, and the excitement was palpable.

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"It was like a real family road trip, they were so excited, and the team at Coastal Caravans couldn't have been more helpful," she said.

The team also fitted out the van with groceries and other supplies such as tents and sleeping bags thanks to donations from staff.

Ms Bannister said the GoFundMe campaign had been "a hard slog" and "was not without cost" to herself and her family, but she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Look, it's been tough, I'm a small business owner and since we started the campaign we have had calls from so many other people in the same situation," she said.

"But there's only one of me, unfortunately I can't help everyone. I wish I had a magic wand to be able to make all their problems disappear."

However, she said she didn't anticipate the support of the community, and wanted to thank everyone who had donated.

"When we started, we thought maybe we could get a couple of thousand, to just take the pressure off," she said.

"Never did we think we'd get here, but we have."

At the time of writing the GoFundMe had reached $41,240 of its $40,000 goal, with the aim to buy a caravan to put somewhat of a roof over their heads.

However, Ms Bannister said she doesn't want to stop there. Now the caravan has been purchased, she has set her eyes on a new goal to help the Whiteside family.

"We are raising some more money to get the boys some new computers and school supplies so they can get back to school," she said.

A new goal of $45,000 has been added to the GoFundMe to help with the cost of devices and school supplies.

Ms Bannister said the Whiteside family's plight was indicative of an increasingly severe problem facing many Tasmanians.

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Homelessness is on the increase in Tasmania, as the cost of living and house prices put pressure on those on or below the poverty line.

Ms Bannister said it was disappointing that governments opted for short-term thinking in response to the issue, and urged them to implement longer term strategies to combat it.

Launceston councillors were confronted by devastating stories from people living homeless in the region during the April meeting. It was an emotional scene in the chambers when a number of people came forward to share their experiences.

It prompted the council to install amenities and open up public toilets across the city to assist those who are sleeping rough.

However, Ms Bannister said Launceston was not the only place where people were living rough. She said the government and other crisis support services did not help the Whiteside family in their time of need.

She said it didn't matter who was in power, but governments needed to act swiftly.

"It's a large ship to turn around, there's simply not enough houses and you can't magic up new homes," she said.

"But it's a widespread problem in Australia; we have been hit with everything [cost of living, petrol,housing] and there's no long-term thinking...someone needs to think outside the square."

If you want to help the Whiteside family, consider donating to the GoFundMe here.

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I have worked in the Tasmanian digital/print media for 11 years, spanning two newsrooms. I have developed a keen interest in agricultural, development and education news, as well as issues-based long-form journalism. Contact me at caitlin.jarvis@examiner.com.au

I have worked in the Tasmanian digital/print media for 11 years, spanning two newsrooms. I have developed a keen interest in agricultural, development and education news, as well as issues-based long-form journalism. Contact me at caitlin.jarvis@examiner.com.au

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