‘Horrendous’: Shelter Closures Pour On Housing Pain

Vulnerable residents deal with a fight to discover food and somewhere dry to sleep when flood waters recede and shut.

Nearly 800 people have sought haven in NSW evacuation centres however their status as pop-up homes for some will stop to exist after the impact of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred passes.

Kim Kennedy, Vinnies’ regional real estate and homelessness supervisor for northeast NSW, has actually been on the front lines supporting people sleeping rough in flooded zones.

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

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

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

“It has been truly tough trying to get them any type of shelter.”

She stated the homeless were looking for any dry locations they might sleep across a northern NSW area currently handling an alarming lack of economical housing.

“We have actually been helping out an entire household sleeping in their car,” Ms Kennedy stated.

“Seeing them in this horrendous weather condition is actually dreadful.”

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

“We absolutely do have a housing issue in the Northern Rivers and we require services,” Ms Kennedy said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns stated evacuation centres established in schools, universities, gyms and clubs could not function as a long-term repair to entrenched housing problems in the region.

“I am completely mindful of the considerable obstacles for real estate in the Northern Rivers, but evacuation centres are not irreversible options … we don’t have the resources, the staffing, the time, the allocation,” he stated.

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

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

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

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

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

In Pottsville, in between Tweed Heads and Byron Bay, a whale carcass was among the debris that cleaned up after substantial swells damaged the shoreline for days.

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

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

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

Lifeline 13 11 14

beyondblue 1300 22 4636