Employment and Education Housing
Affordable accommodation for people relocating from rural and remote communities for work, study or training.
About This Program
This program offers short-term accommodation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relocating to Townsville to pursue employment, education, or training opportunities.
It was created to support a smooth transition by providing safe and affordable housing as individuals establish a new beginning.
Yumba-Meta Ltd provides culturally appropriate tenancy support. The program is designed to promote long-term stability and reduce barriers for those working to improve their social and economic wellbeing through work or study.
Key Features
Looking to Relocate for Work or Study?
Contact our team to find out if you’re eligible for accommodation through this program.
Carl Benn
Long-term Housing Resident
Carl Benn
Long-term Housing Resident
“Yumba-Meta has been so good to us. They treat me with respect, I feel like we are part of their community,”
Sharon Henderson
Long-Term Housing Resident
Sharon Henderson
Long-Term Housing Resident
In 2011, during Cyclone Yasi, Sharon Henderson’s home burned down. The devastating fire left Sharon and her seven children homeless and in desperate need of rental accommodation.
“It was not a good time for me,” recalls Sharon. “Their father was not there, we had lost our home, and lost everything. I took my children with me down to Queensland Housing and begged for a home but they didn’t have anything. I sat there from 8.30am when it opened and stayed until the afternoon. Eventually, I was referred on and learned about Yumba-Meta.”
Sharon and her family were given emergency accommodation. In 2013, Sharon moved her family to their current home in Kirwan, close to her children’s school. “I fell in love with the house immediately. It had a brand-new electric stove, a patio at the back, a bus stop at the front and it’s eight doors down to Woolworths.”
While the single-level three-bedroom home seemed ‘small’ for a family of eight people, Sharon says it was perfect. “Our culture is to share, so the size wasn’t an issue at all. It has been a great home for us. Joshua has multiple disabilities and I, myself, have spinal issues and high blood pressure, so I prayed for a single-level home on the ground, with a patio and access to a bus stop. This home was everything I prayed for,” she says.
“Yumba-Meta has been so good to us. They treat me with respect, I feel like we are part of their community,” shares Sharon.
Now, in 2020, four of her children have left the nest, with the two eldest working in Brisbane and two others living locally. Only Sharon’s youngest three children remain living at home with her, Azaria aged 23, Margaret, 20, and 13-year-old Joshua.
“Joshua and I want to be here for the long-term. With Joshy’s disabilities, he struggles with change,” shares Sharon. “This is our home. I’m so grateful.”
