Supporting our community on all sides

Home is a sacred place for us all, and today, former Sustaining Tenancies participant Patricia maintains a safe and comfortable living space after overcoming years of mental health challenges, social isolation and long-term hoarding behaviours. Recognising Patricia’s determination to create positive change, the Sustaining Tenancies team worked alongside her using a holistic approach. 

Longtime Community Hubs participant Elizabeth has bilingual expertise and a natural instinct for leadership, but she was struggling with fourteen years of visa instability and poor access to services. However, when she discovered an unique opportunity to apply her skills to support her peers and make services more accessible to them, Elizabeth became a force for change in her community.

Steve’s story speaks to the valuable opportunities that arise from making a simple connection with your local community centre.

Maria’s story is one of resilience and the transformative power of community. By stepping out of her isolation and engaging with the support around her, she found a path forward.

Rhonda’s story is a demonstration of utmost courage and resilience to seek her own independence and forge a sense of security and permanence for her son, as he grows up in a new country.

Miss P’s story speaks volumes to her courage and unwavering hope to create a safer home for her young daughter.

Prolific artist Varinia Street is one of Communify’s most engaged community members, with a personality as vibrant as her artwork.

Talented chef Phillipe was unemployed, homeless, and struggling with severe mental health challenges when he was referred by a social worker to Communify’s Sustaining Tenancies team.

44-year-old David first came to Communify as a participant in our Springboard program in 2019 to recover from addiction. After completing the Springboard program twice to recover from his addiction, David is now benefiting from ongoing support through the Recovery and Discovery Centre. The program is not only helping David manage his mental health on a daily basis; the support he has received has also been empowering for David and has helped him embrace his true sense of self.

Despite the extensive loss and trauma she experienced from fleeing her home country in the Middle East, A has been determined to independently establish a new life for her family in Australia, with no options to return to their home country available to them.

R and her mother were released from community detention after a year in an offshore detention centre. This is when they connected with the ASRA program. Their detention experience left both women frightened and traumatised.

David is a light-hearted person who is always smiling! David has made great progress over the last year with his health and wellness, losing a significant amount of weight and pursuing bodybuilding contests.

Neil sat down with one of our NDIS Core Support Team Leaders to reflect and write down what he has enjoyed most over the last few months.

The ASRA support team met B and his wife and two children at the Indooroopilly outreach hub in 2020. While B had work rights linked to his temporary bridging visa, his wife had no visa of her own.

Rhonda’s story is a demonstration of utmost courage and resilience to seek her own independence and forge a sense of security and permanence for her son, as he grows up in a new country.

Springboard embodied the spirit of second chances, while Communify represented the power of community and shared experiences, reminding me that healing is not just a destination but a continuous journey towards a richer, fuller life. Together, we navigated the challenges of addiction, turning despair into hope and isolation into connection.

It’s no secret that the pandemic, cost of living crisis, and housing crisis has made life more uncertain and presented unique challenges for many people. For Peter, whose hoarding behaviours and mental health worsened through the pandemic years, maintaining a safe and secure tenancy was becoming almost impossible.

Marilyn was thrust into homelessness through a series of unexpected and distressing circumstances. Marilyn is a young woman who developed a chronic neurological disorder in 2021 after contracting COVID-19, and this turned her world upside down. She was forced to leave her tertiary studies, and being unable to access employment due to her health issues, Marilyn began experiencing homelessness for the first time in her life.

When the owner Denise’s residence announced that they intended to sell, Denise discovered she was being evicted from the place she had called home for the last 23 years. But amidst this current rental crisis and an increasingly competitive housing market, Denise could not afford to move due to her limited financial means and health issues.

Shona is among an alarmingly growing demographic now facing homelessness who have never experienced it before this recent housing crisis. A retired nurse and mother at 67 years of age, Shona had spent her life caring for others and never reaching out for help in return. In February 2023, she was living alone, privately renting an apartment in Kangaroo Point, when her landlord decided to sell the unit and allowed Shona only four weeks to vacate the property.