‘Horrendous’: Shelter Closures Pour On Housing Pain

Vulnerable residents face a fight to discover food and somewhere dry to sleep when flood waters recede and short-term shelters shut.

Nearly 800 individuals have actually looked for haven in NSW evacuation centres but their status as pop-up homes for some will disappear after the effect of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred passes.

Kim Kennedy, Vinnies’ local housing and homelessness manager for northeast NSW, has been on the cutting edge supporting individuals sleeping rough in flooded zones.

Her task was made harder on Monday due to damage to Fred’s Place, the Tweed Heads drop-in centre where she is based, with consistent rainfall flooding the space.

On any offered day, the centre serves about 130 hot meals to those in requirement however showers and laundry facilities are out of commission until the flood damage is repaired.

“It has actually been a horrendous time for the homeless community,” Ms Kennedy told AAP.

“It has been actually difficult attempting to get them any kind of shelter.”

She said the homeless were searching for any dry locations they could sleep throughout a northern NSW area currently handling a dire scarcity of budget-friendly real estate.

“We’ve been helping out an entire household oversleeping their cars and truck,” Ms Kennedy said.

“Seeing them in this horrendous weather condition is truly terrible.”

The Byron Shire regional federal government area, south of Tweed Heads, had the most rough sleepers of any council area in the state, according to a 2024 government street count.

“We definitely do have a housing problem in the Northern Rivers and we need services,” Ms Kennedy said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns stated evacuation centres set up in schools, universities, health clubs and clubs might not function as a long-term fix to estate issues in the area.

“I am completely familiar with the significant obstacles for housing in the Northern Rivers, but evacuation centres are not permanent options … we do not have the resources, the staffing, the time, the allowance,” he said.

The centres would close in all areas once local emergency orders were raised, Mr Minns included.

“So I wish to apologise in advance but we need to draw a really clear and understood line.”

More than 10,000 people were under emergency situation cautions in NSW on Monday early morning, while 1800 people were separated by floodwaters.

About 10,000 homes and businesses were still not connected to power as heavy rain continued to fall in numerous areas.

Major flood cautions were still in location for parts of the Clarence and Richmond rivers, while clean-up operations were under way elsewhere.

In Pottsville, in between Tweed Heads and Byron Bay, a whale carcass was amongst the debris that washed up after substantial swells battered the coastline for days.

Residents from 17 NSW regional government areas who had actually lost earnings due to the storm would be eligible for federal catastrophe relief funds for up to 13 weeks, it was revealed on Monday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated the financial backing would be backed by psychological health services for affected locations.

“We’ve got your back, that’s my message to communities here,” he said from Lismore on Monday.

Lifeline 13 11 14

beyondblue 1300 22 4636