A Community Anguish

Since the beginning of our campaign, Tiny Community Living has been actively engaging with the public at local markets and community events. It all began humbly, with just a table and a few flyers at the Maleny Music Festival last year. Our mission is simple yet urgent: to have Tiny Homes on Wheels (THOWs), caravans, and buses recognised as legitimate permanent housing options. In the face of unprecedented housing shortages and rising living costs, it’s time our local and state laws reflect the reality people are living.

As our campaign gathered momentum, we began holding regular meetups at markets across the Sunshine Coast Council region. We’ve spoken with thousands of community members. Again and again, the emotions expressed were disappointment, frustration, and anger towards councils that refuse to allow the tiny living solution or provide alternatives.

Instead of helping, local governments are punishing landowners who open their properties to tiny-living residents, wasting public funds and pushing people out of safe, affordable housing options such as tiny homes on wheels, caravans or converted buses.

One recent incident left us deeply troubled: a local council executed a warrant on a tiny living community, bringing six compliance officers and six police. Wouldn’t those resources be better spent developing solutions and offering security to people whose lives have now been turned upside down?

Real Stories, Real Impact

We’ve heard countless stories—hopeful, heartbreaking, and deeply human.

One woman shared how she, her husband, and their two teenage sons had found stability and happiness living in the hinterland in their beautiful tiny houses. They were connected to the land, living peacefully—until a single neighbour complaint triggered council action. The result? They were forced to leave. The tiny homes remained empty and unused. Meanwhile, the family was pushed back into the overpriced and overstressed rental market. In a time of housing crisis, where is the common sense? Where is the compassion?

Another story that left a lasting impression came from a woman with full-time employment, living in her car. On the outside, she appeared composed and professional. But beneath that was fear and emotional exhaustion. She described the constant worry of finding somewhere safe to park at night. She had been forced into this life after her rental was sold. We’ve since learned that many women across the region sleep in their cars in groups for safety, moving locations every few days to avoid detection. These are not criminals. They are working women, some with children, trying to survive. Many would gladly live tiny on private land—if only the laws supported them.

We’ve met singles and couples now living in vans, tents, or cars while they wait and hope for a change. One story involved a property owner fined by council for sleeping in her own driveway—in her van—to escape paint fumes inside her freshly renovated home. This is not sensible governance. It’s bureaucratic overreach.

Still, we've also met many who *are* living in tiny homes—and thriving. They speak of the freedom, the sustainability, and the joy it brings. But even then, an undercurrent of fear lingers. One young couple shared how excited they were to move into their new forever home on a property in the Noosa hinterland. But their plans fell through at the last minute when the property owner got cold feet—afraid of the council’s heavy-handed enforcement. This led to a frantic search, temporary relocations, and weeks of stress. Thankfully, their story has a happy ending: they found a new site, hundreds of kilometres away. But not everyone is so lucky.

If we had laws that supported property owners willing to host tiny homes, many of these stories might have turned out differently. Of course, life brings changes—properties are sold, people move—but tiny home dwellers accept that risk. What they shouldn’t have to accept is hostility and red tape from the very institutions meant to serve the community.

A Call for Compassionate Reform

Through these conversations, one thing is clear: our community has heart. People care. They want to see change. Now we need our leaders to match that compassion with courage.

We are calling on all local councils, state governments, and policy-makers to recognise Tiny Homes on Wheels, caravans, and alternative dwellings as legitimate housing solutions. Stop treating these homes—and the people who live in them—as nuisances to be regulated out of existence.

In a time when housing insecurity affects so many, we must prioritise People over Paperwork. 

Let’s stop punishing those trying to live safely, affordably and sustainably; along with those trying to support them. Let’s rewrite our local laws with compassion, community and common sense.