Minister for Transport and Veterans David Elliott visited Lismore this week to meet with veterans who have been affected by the devastating floods.
RSL NSW President Ray James accompanied Mr Elliott to hear first-hand how veterans were impacted. They also inspected the Lismore War Memorial and the Lismore RSL sub-Branch, which were damaged in the floods.
Mr Elliott said almost 40 veterans from the Northern Rivers region had been left homeless, while others were significantly impacted by the devastating floods.
“Listening to the stories of how veterans were impacted is heartbreaking. RSL LifeCare, the partner charity of RSL NSW, has provided immediate support with a one-off disaster assistance payment of $3000 and a $100 gift card that Coles generously donated,” Mr Elliott said.
“To date RSL LifeCare has received 60 applications for financial assistance and processed 40 of them; that is $120,000 paid directly to Veterans in the Northern Rivers to support them and their families.
“The flood event and the subsequent clean-up has been mentally and physically traumatic for all involved, but I am buoyed by the fact that teams from RSL LifeCare and staff from Lismore RSL sub-Branch have been working tirelessly to provide ongoing support to our Veterans in terms of housing, insurance claims, and employment services,” he said.
The NSW Government has announced a $285 million Temporary Housing Support Package and has the capacity to assist around 25,000 households.
It has also extended the length of time people can stay in emergency accommodation without reapplying, from seven days to 28 days, and are linking those people with the medium-term accommodation which best suits their situation.
People from all walks of life are encouraged to contact Service NSW on 13 77 88 or visit nsw.gov.au/floods for more information.
Any veteran that has been affected by recent flooding and requires the services and support of RSL LifeCare should contact 1300 232 564.
