The Face Of Homelessness You Don’t Expect

Marg Speaks On Strength, Stigma, And Stereotypes

By Hannah McNamara

The ongoing chorus of the cost-of-living crisis is becoming an all-too-familiar tune across our region, but while the conversation may be repetitive, its consequences are anything but.

This crisis doesn’t discriminate.

It touches every demographic – young families, pensioners, single parents, even carers. And behind every statistic lies a story – not of choice, but of undeserved chance.

One of those stories belongs to 70-year-old Marg Baldock, a woman whose strength and honesty are shaking up the public perception of homelessness.

Marg isn’t looking for sympathy.

She’s asking for something far more valuable: kindness.

Originally from Victoria, Marg moved to Mackay three and a half years ago to be closer to her children, her 11 grandchildren, and her great-grandchild. She works part-time as a cleaner and is also a full-time carer for a man living with disabilities.

She receives an age pension. She does not drink. She does not take drugs.

And yet, she and her companion have spent the past three years caught in the unrelenting struggle to find stable rental accommodation.

“I am a 70-year-old woman. I am a mother, a nan, and a great-nan,” she said.

“I am also a carer for a man with disabilities. We don’t do drugs or drink. I work part-time as a cleaner.”

Marg now lives in a caravan park – not because she wants to, but because she has no other choice. Despite applying for over 100 rentals, Marg says they’re constantly declined, presumably because the man she cares for has two support dogs that are essential to his wellbeing.

When they turned to housing services for help, they were told they ‘earned too much’ to qualify.

“We went to housing thinking we’d get help – he’s on a disability pension and I’m on the age pension – but we ‘earned too much’ to qualify. How does that make sense?”

Her story is all too common in today’s housing landscape, but even so, Marg remains grateful.

“We’re lucky to have found a spot in a caravan park – but even then, there’s no guarantee we can stay long-term.

“We’re very grateful to have a safe place to sleep…you could say we’re one of the lucky ones.

“You know, I’d love to be able to cook in my own kitchen again, and have my own bedroom and bathroom to walk to, but for now we’re just grateful for what we have.

“It’s just heartbreaking to see others who have it a lot worse.”

Marg's story cuts through the harmful stereotypes that too often surround homelessness.

“I’m tired of seeing people lumping the homeless into one stereotype.

“Not everyone on the street is a ‘junkie’ or lazy. Some of us work. Some of us care for others. Some of us just got unlucky.”

It’s a powerful reminder that homelessness is not always visible. It doesn’t always look like a swag on a park bench. Sometimes, it looks like a grandmother who works hard and gives even more – just taking it one day at a time.

“All I’m asking is be kind to people that are homeless. Most people don’t want to be homeless. Every negative comment makes us feel like failures.”

As Marg shares her truth, she invites the community to listen – not with pity, but with empathy. Because when stereotypes are shattered, compassion grows, and hearts are opened – to see not the label, but the life behind it.

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