Horizon Housing's offices will be closed from Wednesday 25 December, 2019 and will re-open on January 2nd, 2020 for the Christmas and New Year break. We at Horizon want to wish you all a safe and joyous Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. Also, we will be closed on Monday 27 January for Australia Day.

what’s happening in your region?....……………….....................2

horizon update & logan youth foyer?…..………………...……….…….....3

changed contact details recently?…………………………………...3

how to plan & prepare for a natural disaster……...........……....4

valued tenant raffle……….……….5

xmas competition.......................6

horizon housing’s simple recipe section…………………..………….………7

xmas security...………………………..7

important contacts…………..…...8

contact us…………….………………….8

Welcome to the Summer edition of Horizon Housing’s tenant newsletter. Whether you’re a new or an existing tenant living on the Gold Coast, Caboolture, Maranoa and beyond, we are committed to keeping you updated and connected by bringing you helpful information, events and developments. Do you have an idea for the newsletter or a happy story to share with our 2,400 plus tenants? Maybe you’ve heard of an upcoming event

that we should all support or have a delicious recipe you would like to publish? Please send us your ideas so we can share with others. We hope that you enjoy this edition of the newsletter and look forward to hearing your feedback. To share your story or provide your feedback on the information you would like to see, please email feedback@horizonhousing.com.au or contact us on 1300 133 027.

Horizon Housing are always contactable after hours for maintenance emergencies only on 1300 133 027. Some examples of an emergency include (but are not limited to): • Loss of hot water; • A burst water service or a

serious water service leak; • A gas leak; or • A fault that makes the property

unsafe. For emergencies like flooding or storm damage, please contact the SES (State Emergency Service) on

132 500 or City of Gold Coast Disaster Hotline on 1800 606 000. Always remember if you are in a life threatening situation, call 000 for assistance.

Carols by Latern Light, Christmas Concert—22 Dec, Highfields Pioneer Village

Star Story (Art) Workshop with Keg de Souza—9 Jan, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery

Charity Theatre Night—12 Feb, Toowoomba Repertory Theatre

Learn to meditate—9 Jan, Australian School of Meditation & Yoga, Mermaid Beach

Pacific Fair Walking Club—Every Thursday morning at 7.30am, Ground Floor, outside the Coffee Club

Sunday Social Ride—19 Jan, Norm Rix Park, Labrador

Children’s Cycling— 15 Feb, Central Park Basketball Courts, Varsity Lakes

Brisbane City Christmas Parade—until 22 Dec, Queens Street Mall

Nana Magic, Tilly and friends performance—9 Jan, Stones Corner Library, Greenslopes

Lunar New Year—1 and 2 Feb, Chinatown Mall, Fortitude Valley

Multi-sports and mindfulness — 21 Dec, Loganholme State School

Paint like you’re mostly wrong—16 Jan, Logan Art Gallery

Touch Rugby Sevens—16 Jan, Logan City Rugby Union Club, Slacks Creek

Woodford Folk Festival—27 Dec to 1 Jan, Woodfordia

Ginger Flower and Food Festival—17 to 19 Jan, Buderim Ginger Factory

The original Eumundi markets—Every Wed & Sat, 80 Memorial Drive, Eumundi

2020 Rise & Shine—8 to 22 Jan, Childers CBD Wacky Weather Community Event—15 Jan,

Bundaberg Multiplex Convention Centre

2020 Pacific Inclusion—8 Feb, Lighthouse Hotel, 66 Zunker Street Burnett Heads

RESCUE—Now to 8 Mar, 70-102 Flinders St, Townsville City

QCWA Charters Towers Markets—Every Sunday starting 19 Jan, 80 Mosman Street

Taylors Beach Family Fishing Tournament—23 to 24 Feb, Taylors Beach

The Ipswich Jam—starting 22 Dec, every 2 weeks on Sunday, 19 Pelican St, North Ipswich

Eighty8 Hip Hop Dance—Every week on Friday, 344 Redbank Plains Road, Bellbird Park

Sunday Afternoon Tennis for Over 35s—Every week on Sunday, Chermside Road Queens Park Ipwswich

Makers and Finders Market — Every 3rd Sunday of the month. Location: 104 Wollumbin Street, Murwillumbah

Illuminated Landscape Exhibition—Now to 5 Jan, M-Arts Precinct

Roma International Motor Speedway—21 Dec, Two Mile Road

Australian Nature Inspired Children’s Art Activities—Every Tuesday starting 28 Jan, location: TBC but can register via email @ info@threecatsdesign.com.au

Welcome to the Summer edition of Horizon Housing’s tenant newsletter. As 2019 draws to a close, it is often a time of reflection on what has been achieved through the year and if we delivered on our ‘New Year Resolutions’. 2019 has been a big year for the staff team with many new projects

starting and others concluding. We have said farewell to a few staff across the year and welcomed new staff. In this newsletter, we say hello to Frances Paterson-Fleider, who is the newly appointed State

Manager for Queensland following the departure of Jamie Muchall who has moved on to a new position closer to his home. We thank Jamie for his 11 years of loyal service and wish him every success in the future. Frances brings over 30 years’ experience of working in the Housing Sector and believes that appropriate and affordable housing is a basic human right and is fundamental to individual, family and community well-being. We are excited to have Frances as part of the Community Housing group and look forward to many new and exciting projects coming to the fore in 2020. One of the activities that will be a focus next year is the finalisation of the transition of Horizon Housing to Community Housing Ltd. For residents, this transition will be a seamless process and your housing manager will not change. We do hope however, that you will see some new and exciting initiatives as we focus more on tenant engagement and community development activities that are priorities for Community Housing Ltd. In the meantime, we will close 2019 and wish you all a safe and healthy 2020.

Photo: New State Manager for QLD, Frances Paterson-Fleider

Photo of Queensland State Manager, Jamie Muchall speaking at the celebration of the Logan Youth foyer.

Staff attended the 10 year celebration of the Logan youth foyer on Wednesday 6 November.

Past and current tenants spoke of their experience and also described how their time at the complex has impacted their lives for the better.

The Regional Director for the Department of Housing and Public Works, Mark McConnell, highlighted the outstanding results that have been achieved.

Jamie Muchall, Queensland State Manager, spoke on behalf of Horizon Housing and outlined the importance of partnerships and how the partnership between Wesley, the Department of Housing, Horizon and the tenants produce the great results we have seen over the last 10 years.

Please let us know as soon as you change phone numbers or email addresses, as it’s important for us to have the most up to date contact details. In order for us to provide the best service to you as our tenant, please contact us with any changes as soon as possible so there is no delay in getting any important information to you or urgent matters especially in regards to maintenance. Phone: 1300 133 027 or Email: hhc@horizonhousing.com.au

Queensland is one of the most impacted states in

Australia when it comes to a natural disaster. Fires,

cyclones, monsoonal rain, storms and heatwaves are

the most common. Households that are well

prepared before a natural disaster occurs are more

resilient and can recover faster. Being prepared is

even more important for households that are

considered vulnerable. These vulnerabilities include

those on low or fixed incomes, with chronic health

conditions, older people, poor English skills and

residing in rural or remote communities. Children

and young people are particularly vulnerable to the

impacts of emergencies. Emergencies are not often

understood by children and they can find them

frightening and confusing. As well as relying on

others to protect them and make decisions around

their safety, factors that can impact on children and

young people’s ability to cope with disaster include

their age, presence or absence of a parent during the

event, reaction of adults to the event and pre-

existing health issues.

Community based organisations often have in-depth

knowledge of local people, history, risks and

community. This local knowledge and understanding

informed Community Housing Limited’s Vulnerable

Queenslanders Project made possible with funding

from the Federal/State government. The project

works across communities of the Gold Coast, Roma,

Maryborough and Toowoomba to inform, educate

and promote how you plan and prepare for a natural

disaster. Working with the Australian Red Cross, local

residents and services have been invited to meet and

start a conversation around how we plan and

prepare to ensure that we understand what to do

and when in case of a disaster. The Australian Red

Cross RediPlan is provided along with other material,

however the most critical point has been for us all to

start the conversation with neighbours, friends,

family, carers and services to get us thinking and

planning. In Roma, 100% of the residents that

attended the community conversation said they had

experienced one or more natural disasters, however

90% said they didn’t really understand what they

needed to do in case of one. The big concerns

included what happened to their pets/animals (an

important issue in most communities we visited),

how to get medication and access to drinking water.

On the Gold Coast, over 100 copies of the RediPlan

were handed out, in Maryborough the need to

ensure our homes were properly prepared (due to

high winds) was stressed. Anything left outside can

become a risk and injure others if not stored/secured

properly.

Most of our Queensland tenancy and property

management staff have attended a session by the

Australian Red Cross on how to plan and prepare so

they can raise awareness and assist our tenants to be

better prepared. They are available to have

Photo: A man leaving his home walking through flood waters.

conversation with and will help access any resources required.

Australian Red Cross will soon co-design a brochure with us specifically for our households across Queensland on

the key steps they need to take and what they need to do to better plan and prepare for a natural disaster.

A copy of the Australian Red Cross RediPlan can be downloaded at

https://www.redcross.org.au/getmedia/b896b60f-5b6c-49b2-a114-57be2073a1c2/red-cross-rediplan-disaster-

preparedness-guide.pdf.aspx.

Additional Australian Red Cross resources are available at :

https://www.redcross.org.au/get-help/emergencies/resources-about-disasters

Photo on left-hand side: Aerial view of Outback Cattle mustering featuring herd of livestock cows.

Photo on right-hand side: Bushfire in Sydney area, NSW.

Every month Horizon Housing give out raffle tickets to say thank you to those who

demonstrate great tenant conduct and tenancy practice. Some examples of reasons we might thank you are: Fantastic Routine Inspections; Positive Rent/Payment History; Feedback on your Tenancy; and Neighbourhood Participation. We draw the raffle at the end of each month, with the previous month’s tickets removed out of the draw ready for the next month! What do you win? A $50 gift voucher! It doesn't get any better than that for being our most valued tenant!

Don’t Forget our Xmas Hamper Comp! We all know that Christmas is a joyous

time of the year for everybody, but for

some it can be a little bit more tough

than the others.

Our thoughtful Property Owners and

Affordable Housing Team at Horizon

Housing have kindly donated money

towards a number of Christmas Hampers

to be given out to lucky tenants, because

smiles are all worth it!

How do I win?

In order to win 1 of the Christmas Hampers, all you need to do is get

ahead on your rent which automatically gives you 1 ticket to be in the

draw!

Just pay a little extra over the coming weeks so that your rental payments

are paid 2 weeks in front (paid to the 27th December 2019) by close of

business 13th December 2019, with the raffle being drawn at 1pm on the

14th December! DON’T MISS OUT!

Want to know more?

To find out where you are already paid up to, call us on 1300 133 027 or

speak with your Property Manager.

SERVING SIZE: 8-12 TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES INGREDIENTS • 2C heavy whipping cream, very cold • 2 sponge cake blocks • 1C cold milk • 1 pack of instant vanilla pudding • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, cold • 1kg of fresh strawberries, sliced • 500g frozen mixed

berries, partially thawed in fridge • Strawberry Fruit Glaze FOR THE CREAM: Step 1 Beat cold whipping cream on the highest speed for about 3 minutes or until fluffy and stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use. Step 2 Whisk 1 cup milk together with instant pudding until well blended, then whisk 1 can of refrigerated

condensed milk until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped cream and refrigerate until ready to use. ASSEMBLING YOUR CAKE: Step 1 Chop your sponge cake into 1” cubes and place 1/3 of them into the bottom of your trifle bowl. Step 2 Add 1/3 of your cream and spread around somewhat evenly (it doesn’t have to be perfect!) Step 3 Add 1/4 of fresh/frozen fruit around on the walls of the bowl. Step 4 Spread a thin layer of glaze over the fruit. Step 5 Repeat steps 1-4 until you have 3 layers of cake. Step 6 Arrange your remaining fruit over the top of your cake and brush a thin layer of glaze over the fruit. Source: natashaskitchen.com

As some or most of us begin to close up the year by

going away over the Christmas and New Year break, it

is important that we be extra vigilant and ensure your

property is kept as safe as it can be while you are

away.

You can do this by making sure:

• You have someone to collect your mail/rubbish

bins;

• You have checked and locked all your doors and

windows before leaving;

• Any outside items like tools are secured and

locked away;

• Your lawns are mowed before leaving;

• Electrical devices aren’t left on that should not be,

especially things like hair straighteners, wifi

modems etc;

• You inform Horizon if you are going on an

extended holiday and provide alternate contact

details.

Now that that’s all done, we once again want to wish

you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and

happy New Year!

Organisation Contact Number

Housing Assistance

Qld Government Gold Coast Housing Service Centre

Rent Connect: (please contact your local Housing Service Centre)

Qld Government Toowoomba and South West HSC

Qld Government Townsville HSC

Qld Government Bayside HSC

Qld Government Logan HSC

STARH (Supporting those at Risk of Homelessness)

Gold Coast Homelessness Hub, UnitingCare Community:

Southern Services & Blair Athol

Northern Services—Bryant Place

INTAKE email for GC Homelessness Hub

HPIQ (Homeless Hotline)

5645 8100

1800 623 435

1800 806 197

3034 9800

3086 3700

5569 1838

5579 6060

5579 6071

Intake.gchh@uccommunity.org.au

1800 474 753

Tenancy Infor-

mation and Advice

Residential Tenancies Authority

QStars

1300 366 311

1300 744 263

Support Services—

General

Blair Athol

Salvation Army

St Vincent de Paul Helpline

Ozcare

Centrelink

5579 6060

137 258

1300 633 343

1800 692 273

1800 050 004

Support Services—

Mental Health

Beyond Blue

Suicide Call Back Service

Lifeline

MensLine Australia

ParentLine

Sane Helpline

1300 224 636

1300 659 467

131 114

1300 789 978

1300 301 300

1800 187 263

Head Office

Level 1, Campus Alpha

Suite 101, 2 Investigator Drive

Robina, QLD, 4226

Opening Hours:

Monday—Friday

8.30am—4.30pm

E-mail: hhc@horizonhousing.com.au

Phone: 1300 133 027

Fax: 07 5578 9522

After Hours Maintenance Emergencies:

1300 133 027

Roma Regional Office

31A Hawthorne Street

Roma, QLD, 4455

Please note the Roma office is closed on Wednesdays.