Monte Carlo pays off

When Bill and Dot Henderson moved to Cannon Hill’s Monte Carlo Caravan Park in 1972, they did not expect to be there 40 years later.

The couple value the friendships they have made at the caravan park so much, they plan to live out their retirement there.

And now they have even more reason to stay — they are among 132 households to benefit from recent Department of Communities funded upgrades to the park.

“The major upgrade of the caravan park has been a fantastic boost to our quality of life,” Bill says.

“It has brought living here up to 21st century standards, with new roads and footpaths making it easier to get around for people like us, now aged in our 70s.

“We really look forward to spending the rest of our lives here and a lot of other residents feel the
same way.”

Other park upgrades include street lighting, extra parking, storm water drainage, landscaping, a front entry feature, boom gate, fire hydrants, water tanks, a waste removal point and underground phone connections.

On the Sunshine Coast, more than 65 people are benefiting from upgrades made last year to the Woombye Gardens Caravan Park, while work now underway at Hervey Bay’s Lazy Acres Caravan Park will benefit more than 60 tenant households.

Advice for older women at risk of homelessness

Women aged over 45 are at higher risk of becoming homeless than their younger counterparts.

Recent research shows the changes that occur in older women’s lives such as loss of income, changes in family relationships, illness or bereavement mean they are at higher risk of homelessness.

And according to the Tenants’ Union of Queensland (TUQ), in recent times rising rents, higher divorce rates and the economic downturn have increasingly pushed older women into crisis housing services.

Tenants’ Union statewide coordinator Penny Carr says TUQ recently held well-attended workshops in five regional areas of Queensland to help older women connect, tell their stories, and find out about renting rights and housing assistance options.

“Over 50 women attended the sessions and shared their experiences of how separation, bereavement, job loss, family breakdown and low incomes affected their housing choices,” she says.

“TUQ was able to assist by informing them of their rights as tenants.

“If someone believes they need help, or would like to receive information about tenancy advice, they can call our free service on 1300 744 263 or go to the TUQ website.”

In another effort to help mitigate the homeless risk for older women, The Lady Musgrave Trust has produced an information and service directory for the greater Brisbane area.

The directory is available online through the Queensland Government Bookshop.

Both of these services were made possible by funding from the Department of Communities (Office for Women).