When Lynda separated from her partner 10 years ago, she didn’t anticipate how challenging the years ahead would be.
A mother of four, Lynda was working full‑time in disability services and receiving the disability support pension due to lifelong cerebral palsy. For a time, she could manage independently. “I could work, disability was paying good money, so I could support myself,” she said.
As pain from cerebral palsy increased, Lynda was forced to stop working. Rising rent soon added pressure. “When I stopped working, I was paying $250 a week in rent, but not long after they put the rent up to $270. I knew that would be an ongoing issue; rent goes up.” After selling the property she owned with her former partner, Lynda knew she needed a secure long‑term solution.
In 2024, at 62, she moved into retirement living at Mercy Place Rice Village in Marshall, purchasing a one‑bedroom unit. The decision was supported by the fact her 90‑year‑old mother already lived there. “Because I’ve got cerebral palsy, I needed somewhere that was flat and accessible, and the unit had to be safe,” she said.
“There aren’t a lot of places in Geelong with affordable one-bedroom units.”
The move brought stability after years of uncertainty. “Moving to Mercy Place Rice Village was the first time I felt safe and settled after years of instability.”
Village manager Sally Doodt said more single women in their 50s and early 60s are turning to retirement living due to housing insecurity. “Because of the rental crisis, people are now turning to retirement villages at a younger age than we’ve seen previously,” she said.
For Lynda, the benefits have gone beyond housing. “I feel so much more at peace knowing my kids won’t have to worry about where I’ll end up,” she said.
“I’m talking to more people now than I ever did when I was working. It keeps my mental health good, and we laugh every day.”
Rice Village manager Sally Doodt and Lynda
