A Coolagolite couple has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help continue their fight to stay living in their Tiny House on Wheels.
Joshua Heins and Manu Bones have spent the past year battling Bega Valley Shire Council’s eviction order.
They have lived at the property in their portable home for the past three year. In April last year Bega Valley Shire Council issued the property’s owner with an eviction order for the tiny home.
Mr Heins said the costs to fight the case in the NSW Land and Environment Court are quickly adding up.
“The landowners have already spent about $30,000 to go through the conciliation process we’re looking at about $60,000 more. That’s fees for barristers and solicitors, expert witness planning, reports, court, filing fees, legal advice,” Mr Heins said.
“There’s a massive stack of people involved in this court case and obviously everyone deserves to get paid for their time so to help us with that process and to be able to employ the very best so that we win this case,” he said.
“We’re reaching out to the community. This case is really about more than just us because a good outcome would be a real positive precedent for tiny homes in New South Wales.”
A petition last year attracted more than 30,000 signatures for their campaign.
“If you drive around the Bega Valley and you look around and you’ll see tiny homes already,” he said.
“You’ll see people living in tiny homes because it’s a fantastic housing solution for so many people. It makes sense that people, during this time, the housing crisis want to support people who are finding positive solutions and that’s what we’re trying to do with our tiny home on wheels and we’re trying to set a positive precedent for other people and people want to support that. It’s a shame that the council doesn’t.”
The fight to be allowed to live in a tiny house on wheels is set to continue for several more months at least.
A full hearing is scheduled for June after conciliation failed.
The couple also pledged to not keep any of the money raised through the GoFundMe campaign.
“If we’re able to win this case and we recover our funds, all of the money that we raise, we’ll go back into a local charity working to prevent homelessness in the region,” Mr Heins said.
