PORT Macquarie's housing crisis has forced one family to live in a tent.

A family of six û consisting of Jason Chatfield, his partner Natalie Kursis, their three-year-old daughter Kayla, Natalie's mother and her two small childrenû could not secure accommodation and ended up in a holiday apartment.

Natalie's mother's baby bonus was used to cover the weekly cost but once that ran out they had no choice but to live in tents at two different caravan parks while they searched, unsuccessfully, for accommodation.

After six weeks inside tents they are living at the emergency accommodation centre McCosker House, but they only have another five weeks left before they have to move out.

They are registering with the Department of Housing but that means a 10- to 15-year wait.

"Until you're housing is stable you can't organise anything," 17-year-old Natalie Kursis said.

Miss Kursis said paying is not a problem. For them, the dilemma occurs when they try to convince real estate agents an unemployed couple with a young child is not be a liability.

Family worker with UnitingCare Burnside, Trish McInherny, said unsuitable living arrangements and overcrowding brings with it relationship breakdowns and stress.

These are problems encountered by the family-of-six who lived in a relative's home when they first moved to Port Macquarie.

Miss Kursis said there were eight people living in a two-bedroom villa.

And when they moved, they camped in an aunty's backyard before moving into the holiday apartment.

Disadvantaged face a new crisis: page 5