Up to 2,000 modular homes will be sent to accommodate displaced flood victims in northern New South Wales, a month after the state government announced the measure.
The temporary modular “pods” will be rolled out on the Northern Rivers, with the first 25 recovery pods to be delivered to Ballina, followed by additional sites to be named across Tweed, Byron, Richmond Valley and Lismore in coming weeks.
The small homes, which can house one to four people, will be colocated with supporting infrastructure and amenities and are intended to help residents emerge from emergency accommodation. But site readiness and installation is expected to take another four weeks.
The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, says the $350m funding injection to the most devastated areas comes as housing remains “the most pressing challenge for the thousands of people impacted by these floods”.
At least 10 people died from the devastating floods across the Northern Rivers and western Sydney, with Lismore hit the hardest under the onslaught of relentless rain during February and March.
Councils across Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Richmond Valley and Lismore are working with the state government to deliver the 2,000 temporary homes, with preparations for the first pods to begin within a week.
A NSW government spokesperson declined to confirm if the homes were in addition to homes announced in March, or if the announcements were seperate.
“The pods announced in March were the first wave of a small number that were available after the bushfires. Pods will start arriving once site works are completed,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
As well as the modular homes, which accommodate one to four people, other temporary housing options include motorhomes, accommodation at recreation camps and 16 weeks’ rental support.
Katrina Luckie, the chief strategy officer at Social Futures, told Guardian Australia that although she welcomed the announcement, there was still frustrations in the community.
“There’s still a frustration that [there are] still another four weeks to get the first of these sites up and running, and there’s still a number of sites yet to be determined,” she said.
“But it’s a good start. It’s really important that people who have been displaced after disasters [are] provided with housing as soon as possible.”
Luckie said that for many who had been living in temporary accommodation for weeks, finding a new home was an immediate necessity.
“Finding temporary accommodation, whether it’s family, friends, or even staying in evacuation centres or other sites for those periods of time, without being able to just start thinking for your own wellbeing,” she said, “you could imagine that that’s not an easy space for people to be in.
“Until people feel that they have somewhere to stay, they’re going to feel frustrated.”
The planning minister, Anthony Roberts, said the government had cut through “red tape” to provide the temporary accommodation, adding that the measure had worked during the Black Summer bushfires.
“We’ve cut through the red tape to make it easier for the establishment of temporary homes, including caravans and self-contained vehicles, for up to two years without council approval,” Roberts said.
