When you face hatred and discrimination for who you are, finding a stable home can be a struggle. So, a group of transgender women in Sydney banded together in search of a sanctuary of their own. More than a decade later, their dream is finally becoming a reality.
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00:00Kuncha Brown and Chantel Martin have always battled to find homes.
00:06We can't just go out there and rent privately because landlords won't rent to us.
00:12It's a battle they've both lost before.
00:15When I was younger, I ended up being homeless.
00:18I did go down the homeless track for a while there.
00:21The places they have found have often been unsafe.
00:24When we do get into properties, there's that stigma and discrimination from neighbours.
00:29Fourteen years ago, they formed something called a housing co-op with other trans women.
00:35Ever since, they've been looking for somewhere to live as a community.
00:38You're all together. Safety in numbers.
00:42And here we are.
00:44Their advocacy has finally paid off.
00:46A community housing provider has bought seven houses from the City of Sydney Council.
00:5170% reduced from market price and so around $2.4 million.
00:56The state and federal governments have funded the purchase and refurbishment of the homes,
01:00which will be kept exclusively for transgender women.
01:03The result is a safe home for a group of some of the most vulnerable people in the community.
01:09The ABC is not revealing the exact location because of safety concerns,
01:13but it's close to the inner city services its future residents will depend on.
01:17The doctors that we see and our social group.
01:22Darlinghurst is characterised by its large rainbow community,
01:25but people of diverse genders and sexualities are increasingly being priced out.
01:30This housing project will help to preserve that colour.
01:33What we don't want is Darlinghurst or the City of Sydney
01:37to become an area where only the rich can afford to live.
01:40A win for these transgender women and the diversity of the neighbourhood.
01:44The College is a bandened village.
01:51The Cardiff has a decent house for everyone.
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