Church partners with state to deliver affordable homes on Thursday Island

The Queensland Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia will deliver eight new affordable homes on Thursday Island with support from the Queensland Government’s Housing Investment Fund.

The modular homes will be fabricated by Oly Homes in their factory on the Sunshine Coast, transported to the Torres Strait, and installed on land owned by the Uniting Church in Australia.

The one or two-bedroom properties will provide affordable housing for low-income households including young couples and small families.

Work is underway, with the homes to be delivered to Thursday Island in the coming months.

Rev Bruce Moore, Moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod said the church is very grateful for the support of the Queensland Government’s Housing Investment Fund.

“We are happy to be able to provide use of the land to deliver affordable homes for Thursday Island families,” Rev Moore said.

“The Thursday Island community is remarkable, and we thank them and the Thursday Island Uniting Church congregation for their commitment and partnership.”

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Public Works Meaghan Scanlon said, "To build more homes, faster we’re partnering with community housing providers and utilising both our public builder QBuild and Queensland businesses to deliver hundreds more modular homes."

“They take less time to build than conventional construction, and because they’re built inside a factory, aren’t hampered by weather delays during construction.”

Local Member for Cook Cynthia Lui said modular houses are a fantastic way for us to deliver more homes in our communities, alongside traditional builds.

“We know that in remote areas of the state, like Thursday Island, land supply and construction costs make the delivery of new homes more challenging.

“I’m also pleased to know that the homes will be designed to suit the local climate and cultural needs.”