A year after moving into her dream home, Warrnambool's Alicia Franklin and her three children have been left with nothing.
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The family's Wares Road house was destroyed by fire last month, leaving them with only the clothes on their back and a few belongings in their car.
Ms Franklin is desperate to find a rental property to give her children Kayleigh, 9, Darci, 6, and Jae, 3, a stable home environment.
She has been staying in motels and said her children were beginning to ask when they would get a new home.
Ms Franklin said she was devastated she had lost everything.
She has to start from scratch, with the house and most of its contents destroyed.
Ms Franklin said the house was not insured.
The family is now living in a cabin at a local accommodation provider, but needs to find a rental property in the next three weeks.
Ms Franklin said this was proving difficult and she was concerned she may find herself with nowhere to live.
"Hopefully we can find a home in three weeks," she said.
Ms Franklin said she had received support from a number of local organisations, but there were some items that could not be replaced. "In the pantry I had all the kids' artwork and certificates," she said.
The family also lost a cat and their beloved birds in the fire.
Ms Franklin said her children's bikes had escaped the blaze and a few toys.
She said it was a frightening experience for her and her children to see their home on fire. "I turned up there and we could see smoke and everything," Ms Franklin said.
"We had to stop at the top of the hill. One of the people in the street came and took my kids and took them into her place and gave them an icypole. Then my cousin came and picked them up."
Ms Franklin said the children asked to drive past their house a few days later, which was confronting for them all.
She said the two older children attended Allansford and District Primary School, which had been extremely supportive of the family's plight.
A GoFundMe page set up for the family has raised about $5000 and Ms Franklin hopes to use this to furnish a rental property - when she finds one.
Anyone who can help can email mpatterson@warrnamboolstandard.com.au
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