Kerry Pearse has been a housing advocate and community builder for most of her life. She cut her teeth as a squatter in the Lyndhurst Estate in Glebe, Sydney and went on to work at the Mid North Coast Tenants Advice and Housing Referral Service which was based at Coffs Harbour during the 1980s. This jump started her public service career, initially in community housing policy with the Australian Government. Her adult housing story includes living in a squat and numerous approved and unapproved rental properties and share houses.
After being part of a group of women who unsuccessfully tried to establish a rental housing co-operative she was fortunate enough to enter the world of home ownership by partnering up plus marrying a bank. Kerry knows that her long term relationships with both the bank and her partner have given her the security to plot and plan all sort of endeavours.
Kerry’s qualifications include significant lived experience and a Master of Education from UTS. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is particularly interested in innovative housing models which offer shared equity and the long term security of a place to call home. She currently works as a community resilience practitioner through KemJ and with the Burbangana Group, an Aboriginal owned for purpose consulting company.
Kerry is deeply grateful that she lives on Gumbaynggirr country and hopes with all her heart that we can collectively preserve and protect our natural environment as the climate change emergency continues to unfold. She believes that the future rests on real positive change being driven by local communities – but also knows that good government policy and investment certainly will help.
