Place to call home in Moreton Bay
Sonya and her youngest son Blade, 10, were about to move in temporarily with her eldest daughter - after having to move out of their rental - when they received a call from a property manager about her eligibility for a new affordable two-bedroom rental in Burpengary East.
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“I was so distressed,” Sonya said.
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“We’d put everything in storage, and we were going to sleep on my daughter’s lounge…then I got a call from one of the property managers who said I might be eligible…my heart was beating so fast.”
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Seven months later in her new home in Burpengary East, Sonya said she finally feels settled.
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Having moved just across the highway from Morayfield East, the transition was smooth, with no need to change schools or jobs with both her workplace and Blade’s school close by.
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Sonya is renting an affordable two-bedroom house under the Southeast Queensland project, Everyone’s Place Affordable Housing - with rents capped at 75 per cent of market rates to ease financial pressure on eligible families, couples, and multigenerational households in need.
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With more than 100 affordable homes completed and tenanted, the Everyone’s Place consortium partners - Tetris, Metricon, KDL Property Group and National Affordable Housing - continue to work with the Queensland Government to deliver 483 affordable homes in total by early 2027 in high-demand suburbs including Burpengary East, Jimboomba, Logan Reserve and Joyner.
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In Sonya’s case, it’s given her and Blade a sense of community.
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“As soon as we first moved in, the neighbours were really good, it was just really nice with everyone just getting along and wanting to get to know people,” Sonya said.
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“It’s really a community-based little village.…everyone’s walking with their dogs or children - it’s got a nice calmness to it.”
Sonya said that while Blade loves the nearby park and enjoys visits from his siblings, nieces and nephews, the gamechanger was when, Blade met a new friend Lucas - the son of her neighbour - in the first weeks of moving in.
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“He said to me, ‘Mum, I really like Lucas. He makes me feel happy.’…It showed me that we were in the right place,” Sonya said.
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Originally from Bundaberg, Sonya came to the Moreton Bay region in 2020 after spending time in a women’s shelter.
She’s now living in the same area as her daughter and can drive to visit her other children in Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast.
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“Where we are right now is such a good time in our lives,” she said.
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“I’m just a free spirit… you believe the universe has a plan for you, and that helps you get through.”
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Sonya has made the space a beautifully decorated home – recently adding the Christmas tree and decorations throughout.
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She and Blade are now looking forward to Christmas in their new home – and have already purchased matching outfits for the whole family to wear on the day.
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“The tree up now encourages me to buy presents…I look at the tree and think, okay, I’ve got to fill it,” she said.
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“It’s going to be a great Christmas this year.
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“It’s been so hard not knowing where you might go...this feels good. It feels safe.”
