Housing Options Project
Posted by Administrator (admin) on May 06 2008
2008 >>

Mr LAWLOR (Southport—ALP) (6.55 pm):

Several weeks ago I was delighted to be able to represent the Minister for Public Works and Housing the Hon. Robert Schwarten at the official launch of the Housing Options Project often referred to as HOPS. In attendance at that launch was Mr Allan Finn, the area manager of the Department of Housing, Glyn Irving, chairperson of the Blair Athol Accommodation and Support Program, Mr Ray Milton, the president of the REIQ and, most importantly, Peta-Kaye Croft who, despite her condition, takes a great interest in her electorate and, in particular, issues relating to housing on the Gold Coast, particularly in the electorate of Broadwater and Southport.
This project has arisen from the difficulty some people experience when trying to secure longterm private rental accommodation in a highly competitive rental market. The Housing Options Project
employs two experienced workers, Cheryl Lindley and Tim McKenzie, who have been working hard to assist people to access private rental accommodation and overcome administrative hurdles.

They have both been working on two fronts to establish strong relationships with real estate agencies in order to access maximum information on current rental vacancies and to ensure prospective tenants are well prepared when applying for a tenancy. We actually spoke to several beneficiaries of their work. One of them was a street child who actually had grown up on the streets but was put into accommodation and is doing really well—he is now employed. So it was a real success story for several of the people in the
audience. Cheryl and Tim focus on prospective tenants’ needs and provide them with a complete range of services, including meeting with prospective tenants to discuss their individual requirements and inform them of their rights and responsibilities.

They further assist people with preparing the right documentation for real estate agents and practical details such as key deposits, driving to real estate agents and property inspections, or assisting with moving arrangements. Cheryl and Tim work for Set Free Care where we held the launch. Set Free Care has a great reputation for assisting homeless people and their involvement in this project continues their positive achievements. Pastor Bruce Lindley runs Set Free Care and has been closely involved with issues surrounding homelessness on the Gold Coast. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Liz Fritz, manager of the Blair Athol Accommodation and Support Program, who has been instrumental in securing funding and driving this project so successfully. The HOPS project is one component of a series of responses to address homelessness on the Gold Coast. It complements the Homelessness Outreach Support Team, the Homelessness Health Outreach Team and the Supporting Those At Risk of Homelessness programs. I particularly thank the REIQ who get bad press sometimes, as do politicians and lawyers, of course, but
I am grateful for their support and I congratulate everyone involved in the project.

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