‘Horrendous’: Shelter Closures Pour On Housing Pain

Vulnerable homeowners deal with a fight to discover food and somewhere dry to sleep when flood waters decline and momentary shelters shut.

Nearly 800 individuals have actually sought sanctuary in NSW evacuation centres but their status as pop-up homes for some will cease to exist after the impact 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 rains flooding the area.

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

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

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

She stated the homeless were attempting to discover any dry locations they could sleep throughout a northern NSW area currently dealing with an alarming shortage of budget-friendly real estate.

« We have actually been helping out an entire household oversleeping their car, » Ms Kennedy said.

« Seeing them in this horrendous weather condition is actually dreadful. »

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

« We absolutely do have a real estate problem in the Northern Rivers and we need services, » Ms Kennedy said.

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

« I am fully aware of the considerable obstacles for housing in the Northern Rivers, however evacuation centres are not long-term options … we do not have the resources, the staffing, the time, the allotment, » he stated.

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

« So I wish to apologise ahead of time but we have to draw an extremely clear and understood line. »

More than 10,000 individuals were under emergency 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 many areas.

Major flood cautions were still in place 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 damaged the coastline for days.

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

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

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

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