New home with a career change for 73-year-old Julie
When former beautician, Julie, turned the key in the door of her brand‑new home in Jimboomba, she said she could finally stop holding her breath.
After years of rising costs, and a looming threat of homelessness, she secured an affordable rental in Jimboomba.
“This place is beautiful,” she said.
“It’s perfect. It’s my sanctuary.”
Julie had spent almost her entire life on the Gold Coast, with the last 22 years in a rental home in Bonogin, a quiet hinterland suburb where she raised her children.
A strong real estate market in more recent years drove the rental prices up - making Julie’s financial position unsustainable.
“Some weeks I had a dollar left in the bank,” she said.
“I was terrified - terrified all the time.”
“There were so many people sleeping in parks, in cars and I thought this is it, there’s nowhere to go.”
Julie said she feels it was an act of kindness - where she gave $4 to a stranger at Aldi to help with their groceries - that gave her the motivation to try and change her predicament and do some research on more affordable rental options.
This research led her to Horizon Housing Realty - Community Housing Limited’s subsidiary and affordable housing property managers - who were offering affordable housing rental options as part of the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) program in South East Queensland.
“From that moment things started falling into place,” she said.
“I’m not religious, but it felt like I had guardian angels.”
Julie’s new home in Jimboomba is one of the HAFF 206 homes in the Logan area being delivered by Tetris Capital, with KDL Properties developing the land and Ryse Construction building the homes. Once complete, Community Housing Limited’s subsidiary, Horizon Housing Realty, manage the tenancies.
These HAFF‑backed homes are designed for people most affected by Australia’s housing crisis - families, veterans, seniors, key workers like nurses and teachers, and people urgently needing safe and secure housing.
Offered at discounted rents, the homes range from one to four bedrooms - many with dual‑key layouts - and are being delivered in stages, with the first homes opened in late 2025 and the full 206 completed by mid‑2027.
For Julie, the move involved the very difficult decision to live separately from an elderly relative she was caring for, who was suffering with dementia and required more support.
She’s now drawing on that experience in caring for people to undertake a certified course in Aged Care - attending classes twice a week with plans to work two or three days a week nearby.
“It’s my calling,” she said. “I’ve been doing it my whole life so now I get to do it properly.”
Julia makes the trip back to the Gold Coast to visit her relative in care every week, and she phones him every afternoon at 4:30pm to check in – an afternoon ritual that neither miss.
While the distance and change was difficult, Julia said she doesn’t miss the anxiety and stress she used to have trying to make ends meet and pay the increasing rent.
“This is the first time I’ve ever lived alone,” she said.
“I do love it…I keep everything spotless.
“I’m really happy, I can finally breathe again.”