When it comes to finding safe, accessible, and genuinely caring disability housing in the Geelong region, few know the local community better than Empowered Liveability’s regional tenancy manager Tanya Sexton.
For the past two years, Tanya has been the compassionate force behind many families’ success stories helping people with disabilities not just find a house, but a home.
Her role with Empowered Liveability goes far beyond tenancy management; it’s about trust, connection, and ensuring participants and their families feel supported every step of the way.
Tanya’s journey into this space wasn’t a straight line – it’s a story built on empathy, hard work, and an unshakeable passion for people. Starting out in retail, she discovered early on how powerful human connection could be. “Some customers told me I was the only person they had spoken to that day,” she recalls.
That simple truth became the foundation of her career, a reminder that kindness and compassion can change lives.
After moving into recruitment, Tanya found joy in helping people overcome employment barriers, particularly those who faced the greatest challenges. Wanting to make an even greater impact, she completed a Diploma in Community Services, initially hoping to work with victims of family violence. This led her to genU, where she quickly became known as ‘the housing person.’
It was in the housing space that Tanya found her true calling, solving complex problems, listening deeply and finding pathways for people who often felt unseen.
When Tanya joined Empowered Liveability, it was the perfect match. The organisation’s purpose – providing Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) that gives people choice, safety and dignity aligned beautifully with her own values.
Tanya has been instrumental in helping participants transition into homes that truly meet their needs and through Appendix H, which is an addition to Specialist Disability Accommodation funding, she’s helped ensure that families living with disability can stay together under one roof.
Rather than people entering traditional care settings and leaving the family home, the entire family can move into a new purpose-built home together.
For Tanya, the greatest reward is seeing lives transformed.
“It’s that moment when a house becomes a home – when families visit, when housemates become friends and when a real sense of community begins to grow,” she says.
Empowered Liveability’s commitment to inclusivity and genuine care is reflected through Tanya’s work every day. Her local insight and heartfelt dedication remind us all that good housing is about more than bricks and mortar, it’s about belonging.
Because at Empowered Liveability, and in Tanya’s own words, “It’s not just housing – it’s home.”
