Better Together Housing - December 2021
Better Together Housing is starting to get traction across the Mackay and Whitsunday Regions, with both service providers and community groups getting on board with the project and events happening in Mackay, Bowen and Cannonvale over the past couple of months.
In Mackay we have held two successful Get Togethers- casual gatherings for women to connect and chat over morning or afternoon tea. Women have reported that these events are “great to meet other women in similar situations. It’s a nice small group, easy to talk to.”
At our last morning tea, some of the women indicated they would like to explore local services available to them that may be able to support them in their search for housing. For our Christmas Get Together on Thursday the 9th of December at 12pm-1:30pm, where attendees are invited to bring a plate to share. The women also indicated they were interested in having a guest speaker, so we have invited Connect Housing to come along and talk about the services they provide.
In the Whitsundays, we have held three Get Togethers in partnership with the Whitsunday Council Library with several women interested in the program. With little to no emergency accommodation, or social housing available, Bowen and Cannonvale are facing a serious housing crisis that has not been seen in the region before. A real estate agent in Bowen disclosed that they are not even getting a chance to look at new rental applications, due to a back log of approved applications waiting for housing. Some of the women were facing similar issues with finding affordable accommodation that was accessible (ground floor, flat ground) and difficulty in finding properties that accepted pets.
The Cannonvale branch for Zonta have also indicated an interest in supporting the program and will continue to work with Greater Whitsunday Communities to identify how they can do this in the New Year.
Some helpful resources we have come across in our BTH journey include:
The Neighbourhood Hub Mackay and Surroundings Emergency Relief and Support flyer
Read more about the Better Together Housing Project here