Mowbray Aboriginal man David Sainty has been left with two choices: leave his home and risk homelessness, or stay and likely be taken from it against his will.
It is a proposition that has made the schizophrenic and bi-polar 62-year-old continually break down in tears, and has left him weighing just 51 kilograms.
Mr Sainty lives in a humble three-bedroom apartment on a relatively busy street in Mowbray.
He has lived there for about 18 months after coming back to Tasmania from the mainland for the birth of his grand child.
The apartment is managed by Community Housing Limited, a not-for-profit group that looks after public housing tenancy in Tasmania - including Aboriginal Community housing.
CHL said Mr Sainty was not a tenant of the home, and had actually moved in there with the previous tenant, meaning he was not being evicted.
Mr Sainty said he was informed he would need to vacate the premises because it needed to be used for a family, but they had not provided him with an alternative living arrangement.
Without his Mowbray home he would need to either live in the shed of his brother's one-bedroom apartment, or take up residence in a tent in scrub behind the Silverdome - something he had been forced to do in the past.
Last week he received a wrap on his door from CHL, accompanied by Tasmania Police, who were there to tell him he needed to be out of the home by Monday September 13.
CHL said the police attendance was for a welfare check, not to tell Mr Sainty to leave the house.
"As time passed by and no communication had been forthcoming by Mr Sainty CHL became concerned for his wellbeing and attended the property for a welfare check with police," they said.
Mr Sainty, who was with two others cleaning the house when the attendance occurred, remained adamant he was told he had to be out of the house by Monday.
Mr Sainty said the police soon left after realising it was a "civil matter", but the fact a group operating Aboriginal housing thought they needed to bring police with them cut him deep.
"It upset me and it made me feel really down on myself," he said.
"The Aboriginal housing bloke brought a police officer with him ... I thought I'd done something wrong. I thought I'd broken the law."
Thinking about the fact he may well be homeless from Monday morning made Mr Sainty break down in tears.
I constantly feel like crying because of everything I've got to go through.
- David Sainty
"[CHL as Aboriginal housing providers] are not helping me out. They're here to help us, not go against us. They're going to kick me out and have me go by myself."
Mr Sainty said CHL had told him he would need to find alternative accommodation for two years before they would be able to facilitate a new home for him.
But with the ailing man having recently been in hospital after an asthma attack led to a heart attack, and him needing a walking stick to get around, it is something he fears will see his health deteriorate even further.
I'm 62-years-old. I can't afford to go house hopping.
- David Sainty
In anticipation of his having to leave the house deadline Mr Sainty enlisted the assistance of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and applied for housing through Anglicare, but because he had a "fixed address" Anglicare were initially unable to help him.
Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania chairman Michael Mansell said he had written to the CHL State Operations Manager insisting action not be taken to remove Mr Sainty from his home.
"Aboriginal Housing is to house Aboriginal people, not make them homeless," Mr Mansell said.
In an email to CHL Mr Mansell wrote: "Evicting [Mr Sainty] would offend every principle housing for Aboriginals is based on".
In an email seen by Australian Community Media the CHL confirmed Mr Sainty had requested extra time at the home to move his belongings and clean the house before moving in with his brother.
CHL said the previous tenant had given notice and left his tenancy and when CHL attended the property to commence vacant works they found Mr Sainty "looking unwell" and living there - something they said they were unaware of.
They said the premises was not an Aboriginal allocated property.
"CHL were very concerned for Mr Sainty's health and contacted the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre for assistance," they said.
"CHL discussed avenues for Mr Sainty to access emergency accommodation and he advised that he already had secured alternative accommodation, but required more time.
"CHL agreed to the extension of time."
TAC campaign manager Nala Mansell said she had been in regular contact with CHL about Mr Sainty's situation, but that she had initiated contact with them.
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She said CHL had agreed they would wait until Mr Sainty had attended an appointment to work out his housing situation, but before he had attended the appointment he had been told he would need to move out.
CHL said they had spoken with the TAC who had advised they would assist Mr Sainty to move from the property and requested an extension of the time needed to do so.
Ms Mansell said the TAC had not agreed to help move Mr Sainty out until his issue was resolved by either signing on as the tenant of the Mowbray property, or if he was found him appropriate accommodation to move in to.
She said she had spoken to the Aboriginal housing allocation committee and was under the impression the house would be held for Aboriginal housing.
"The main point is Aboriginal houses are purchased so Aboriginal people can live in them," Ms Mansell said.
"All we want if for him to not become homeless."
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