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Social Housing initiative funds more homes for north Queensland

North Queensland community housing providers are welcoming tenants into new homes constructed with funds from the Commonwealth Government’s Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan – Social Housing Initiative. Designed to be suitable for people with a disability, many of the dwellings meet the high level of adaptability that is a feature of 27% of all Social Housing Initiative dwellings. Tenants will reap the benefit of wide doorways and corridors, reinforced walls for grab rails, moveable walls in bathrooms that can create a larger space to provide access for a person with a wheelchair and kitchen benches that can be lowered.

  • In Kuranda, tenants have moved into one bedroom units built by Tablelands Regional Council. Photographer: Doug Barber

  • Cook Shire Council has recently completed six units in Cooktown. Photographer: Lana Habermann

  • In Townsville at Mount Louisa, eighteen families have settled into apartments built by Horizon Housing Company. Photographer: Garth Graves

Tablelands Regional Council hosted an opening event on 14 December 2011 for all twenty dwellings that are being built by the council with Social Housing Initiative funds.

Other north Queensland providers which have welcomed new tenants into social housing constructed with Nation Building funds include Mareeba Community Housing Association in Mareeba, Douglas Shire Aged Persons Home in Port Douglas and Cootharinga and Roman Catholic Trust Corporation in Townsville.

By 7 December 2011, 3107 dwellings or 77% of the Social Housing Initiative have been completed. Not-for-profit providers will own and/or manage 98% of these dwellings.

Queensland providers are on track with meeting the Social Housing Initiative targets. By November 2011, 57% of all the ‘first tenants’ identified themselves as being previously homeless or at risk of homelessness. Tenants who identified themselves as having a disability also numbered 57%.