a stable home for Tracy to recover with dignity

"I've been 5.5 years in this rental, 29 years in Maleny, moved 15 times during the first 17 years of my son's life (as a sole parent) and have lived in 40 rentals since I was 17. I'm exhausted and terrified of what's coming". Tracy

Here's some media links about Tracy's story:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/28/australia-housing-crisis-older-women-renters-federal-election?CMP=share_btn_url&fbclid=IwY2xjawKFd4pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFnNlZWNTJ0c0NYRzYzczRTAR5wO-Ef8JRLTIo0svBBp1m-1g6sX5-_mg3hCzaqmOEaLPddxa5CR_1UXcYaZg_aem_5pyEy29CwQvXfm2uipZbEA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s-iM-iD1d8

My name is Sharon and I’ve known Tracy for 15 years through our mutual interest in social change as we learnt about NonViolent Communication. Over the last few years our paths met when we became core group members of the Housing Older Women Movement (HOWM). Here we’ve been advocating, lobbying and seeking to generate social action in the housing crisis. The worst housing crisis in living memory and which is causing enormous distress to thousands of Older Women in Australia.

Tracy has been a fierce advocate and active member of HOWM despite her long-term health conditions and her own housing precarity. She is well known throughout South-East Qld regions, particularly the Sunshine Coast where she has created networks, facilitated groups and workshops, offered education or guest speaker events promoting ‘Citizen-led/community land trust models of housing’. This model offers long term, sustainable and affordable housing tenure, and while it is commonly utilised throughout the world and other states in Australia, here in Qld its proven difficult to find traction due to lack of appropriate legislation.

Tracy has spent many 1000’s of hours over the years researching, writing, and being an activist in this space… all voluntary hours with no remuneration or reimbursement. Driven only by her passion and her great sense of social justice.

So why a GoFund Me account?

Well Tracy now finds herself facing homelessness in the first week of May. The small unit she has rented for few years has been sold and she must leave very soon. But there are no homes she can afford to rent, anywhere. She is being forced to urgently sell her few possessions and buy a tent or campervan to provide an immediate roof and somewhere to sleep. To face this at age 63 is crushing enough while trying to contribute to society, despite her significant health disabilities… but 3 weeks ago Tracy was given a diagnosis that changed everything. Cancer, bowel cancer...and now her treatment also begins in the first week of May! Overwhelming does not describe the sense of panic.

Tracy is facing many months of operations and treatments all while she downsizes, holds garage sales, sources somewhere to sleep that is warm and dry...and to cope with this situation while managing a range of other permanent and disabling health conditions. .

Our target of $50,000 will help Tracy buy something more stable than a tent or campervan, perhaps a mobile or tiny home.. or rent somewhere for a couple of years. Somewhere she can call home, where she can rest, recuperate and recover from more physical, mental and emotional trauma. Somewhere that has a permanent bathroom and kitchen facilities where she can do this safely and with dignity.

Basic human rights we should all expect in one of the wealthiest countries on earth in 2025.

Please consider helping Tracy.