Army veteran Ken Weir is living out of his car and a pitched tent

But that is exactly where the 61-year-old has found himself.

The recent "rain bomb" which hit the Shoalhaven left Ken's Old Erowal Bay home of 22 years severely damaged and "unliveable".

The rain was "so heavy, fast and constant" that it broke the terracotta tiles and the roof of the rented home started to collapse.

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Ken was ordered out of the house under a "health order" and was provided three days temporary accommodation at Sanctuary Point, but since then he's reverted to living in his car, using a tent he got from the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub to camp.

He has since managed to secure a camping site at the Shoalhaven Caravan Village at Terara, where he was sleeping in his tent and has now been able to rent a friend's camper van at the village.

Prior to that he had been staying in the bush at a number of local locations, including Tianjara Falls and even on Cambewarra Mountain.

Not being able to take all his possessions with him, he piled what he could into his car, including Sammy in his carry crate in the front seat and hit the road.

"I had to get out of the house," he said. "I gave lots of things away, I just couldn't take them all with me.

"Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do or where I'm going to go.

Read more: 'Humiliating and embarrassing': What it's like being homeless in Ulladulla

"I'd been living rough in the bush. It's tough you can't keep going back to the same places or the rangers will catch you and move you on.

"I've now managed to get a campsite in the caravan park."

But Ken, who is suffering from Myelomalacia, the softening of the spinal cord, and is "in constant pain" said "living in the tent is not the best for his condition".

"It's cold and damp and the ground is pretty hard on my back," he said.

"But what else can I do? There is nothing else available."

It now appears Ken will hopefully be able secure a cabin at the village in coming weeks.

Ken is on a disabled pension and while he can pay his way said the price of living is also making things difficult.

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"What about the price of petrol at the moment? It restricts your traveling activities," he said.

"But I've spent around $300 on petrol in the past week alone travelling around."

He said the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub in Nowra has been "fantastic", providing him with a tent, a place to shower and wash his clothes.

"It's been invaluable, a godsend," he said.

"Where do you go if you haven't got a place like this?

"And they are working their butts off - they are being inundated by the amount homeless people, even more so after the flooding.

"There is no temporary housing at the moment and what is available is being taken up by people in the same situation as me.

"I've always said kids should be looked after first - that's just the way I am - and if that means I have to wait so be it."

He even pointed out the simple things like using a toilet.

"Around Nowra there are a lot of public toilets but many are all padlocked - if you need to go to the toilet where do you go?" he said.

Ken said there is no cure for Myelomalacia, which in its advanced stages causes impairment of motor function in lower extremities, the loss of deep pain perception, a wasting away of muscle tissue and eventually respiratory difficulties.

He says he's in that much pain that his body is continually sweating, while another side effect is that you can't keep food down and vomit not long after eating - "so therefore you don't eat much".

"I've lost more than 70 kilos in the past eight months - my body is shutting down," he said.

"Life's a bitch, move on - you can't put the milk back into a bottle after it's spilt.

"It's constant nerve-like pain - it's like being stung by 200 bluebottles a day."

So what does the future hold?

"Can't give comment on that - can't see the crystal ball, can't predict the future!"

Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 551 800

MensLine Australia 1300 789 978

Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36

Headspace 1800 650 890

QLife 1800 184 527

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