‘Horrendous’: Shelter Closures Pour On Housing Pain

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

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

Kim Kennedy, Vinnies’ regional real estate and homelessness manager for northeast NSW, has actually been on the front lines 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 inundating the space.

On any given day, the centre serves about 130 hot meals to those in need however showers and laundry centers run out commission till the flood damage is repaired.

« It has actually been a horrendous time for the homeless neighborhood, » Ms Kennedy informed AAP.

« It has been truly challenging attempting to get them any kind of shelter. »

She stated the homeless were trying to discover any dry locations they might sleep throughout a northern NSW area currently handling a dire scarcity of cost effective real estate.

« We have actually been assisting an entire family sleeping in their automobile, » Ms Kennedy stated.

« Seeing them in this horrendous weather is truly terrible. »

The Byron Shire local 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 absolutely do have a housing issue in the Northern Rivers and we require services, » Ms Kennedy stated.

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

« I am fully familiar with the considerable challenges for housing in the Northern Rivers, however evacuation centres are not irreversible options … we do not have the resources, the staffing, the time, the allowance, » he said.

The centres would close in all locations once local emergency situation orders were lifted, Mr Minns included.

« So I want to apologise ahead of time but we need to draw a really clear and understood line. »

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

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

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

In Pottsville, between Tweed Heads and Byron Bay, a whale carcass was amongst the debris that washed up after big swells damaged the shoreline for days.

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

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the would be backed by psychological health services for affected areas.

« We have actually got your back, that’s my message to communities here, » he stated from Lismore on Monday.

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