The first residents that were displaced due to the extensive flooding in Northern NSW have now received keys to their temporary housing ‘pods’.
Keys to housing ‘pods’ at the Wollongbar temporary accommodation site have been handed over to residents displaced by the unprecedented flooding.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the moment marked an important milestone in the NSW Government’s $350 million housing response to assist around 25,000 households.
“These keys means so much more than the physical structure they unlock. They are a safe, private and self-sufficient space to live for flood-affected community members while they undertake their own personal journey of deciding what’s next and beginning to rebuild,” Ms Cooke said.
“The Wollongbar site has the capacity to house up to 220 people and is just one of 12 locations across the Northern Rivers region slated to host ‘pod’ villages.”
Ms Cooke said the Wollongbar temporary accommodation site is located around 20 minutes from Lismore and Ballina.
“This housing solution enables us to transition people out of emergency accommodation and into a more stable setting which we expect will be used for up to two years,” Ms Cooke said.
“Our community housing provider, North Coast Community Housing, is managing each ‘pod’ village and ensuring people have everything they need from access to support and engagement workers through to functioning facilities.
“They’ll be working face-to-face with people and looking at how they can make this as seamless and normal an experience as possible given the challenging circumstances.”
Flood-affected community members seeking housing support are urged to contact Service NSW on 13 77 88, visit nsw.gov.au/floods or speak to Recovery Centre staff.
