Resilient Homes Fund expanded to include more homeowners impacted by natural disasters

Up to 1,000 additional Queensland homeowners inundated by the major 2021-22 flooding events could now be eligible to access additional funding to raise their homes.

Expansions to the assessment criteria under Queensland’s $741 million Resilient Homes Fund means more homeowners can apply for additional house-raising and retro fitting measures if impacted by a natural disaster.

Additional funding will be available for up to 1,000 homeowners who previously did not meet house raising criteria. The criteria were broadened to include more homeowners so that they can access the reach and benefit of the program following feedback from impacted Queenslanders.

Households who previously registered their homes under the Resilient Homes Fund will now be eligible for funding under the House Raising Program or can use funds originally intended for a resilient retrofit to instead raise their home.

Minister for Public Works and Procurement, Mick de Brenni said: “We’ve listened to Queenslanders and have broadened the criteria, meaning more Queenslanders can live in their homes and communities after flood waters recede without the stress of damaged or unsafe homes.

“Not only is this good news for flood affected Queenslanders, but it also means fewer insurance claims and lower premiums following extreme flooding in the future.

We’ve also set up a new register of builders so Queenslanders accessing this additional support will be easily able to find the builders and tradies who are best suited to help them.”

Joshua Lind, a resident from the flood affected region of Deagon, welcomed the broadening of the assessment criteria.

“We lost everything in the floods - our cars, our contents, my work tools - absolutely everything,” he said.

“This announcement means a lot, because we didn’t want the risk of losing everything again, and this helps with the large financial burden we thought we’d have to face from raising our home.”