When Gemma Martin's Murwillumbah home was inundated with waist-deep water in 2017, she turned to the New South Wales government to help pay for it to be lifted out of danger.
Five years on, having survived yet another life-threatening flood, she is still waiting for news.
"It's not a matter of not enough money, it's a matter of not prioritising human lives over other ventures," she said.
Ms Martin is interested in having her home lifted on stilts through the state government's voluntary house-raising scheme.
Under the program, the state funds two-thirds of the costs of a house to be raised above the maximum flood level.
There is also an option for residents to sell eligible homes to the government in order to move to higher ground.
This year, around $2 million was committed to these schemes for the entire state under the Department of Planning and Environment's Floodplain Management Program.
Ms Martin has been quoted $45,000 to raise and restump her home. She said $2 million is inadequate.
"It's pitiful considering the cost of raising and the cost of purchasing homes," she said.
While the schemes exist, residents say the lack of available money makes it totally inaccessible.
And Ms Martin says she can't live through another flood.
Leesa Hallahan, who lives on the same South Murwillumbah street, is also waiting to find out if she will be helped to raise her home, or if the government is open to purchasing it.
She said the delay is putting lives at risk.
"Not just from the floods, but from people not being able to make it mentally or emotionally or financially," she said.
"We're living with the constant fear of losing everything again, or even potentially our lives, [or] your neighbours."
Eligible local councils are responsible for applying to the state government for the funding.
The Department of Planning and Environment has confirmed Tweed Shire Council has received $2.8 million through the program since 2017 — most of which has been spent on purchasing or raising properties.
Mayor Chris Cherry said the amount is nowhere near enough.
"We think we need a one-off contribution of around $300 million to try to get people out of the floodplain, and then ongoing, around a $100 million mark," Ms Cherry said.
She admitted it was not good enough for residents like Gemma to be left waiting for funding news for up to five years.
"We, as government, have let them down and we need to allocate serious resources to it now, because this is a way we can actually really help people to recover," she said.
Ms Cherry said an immediate investment was needed to secure the safety of people living in the Northern Rivers.
"These are people's lives and we can keep giving them money to help buy their things again, or we can actually step in and change our thinking and help them get out of the situation because they can't get out of it on their own — and they need state government help," she said.
"State government is very, very prepared to come in … and help people buy things back, help them reassemble their homes, but if it's just going to keep happening again and again … let's be smart about it.
"Let's pay what is quite a big investment now, but it's an investment in our future and then our community's future."
In a statement, a spokesperson for NSW Department of Planning and Environment said since the 2012-2013 financial year, councils have purchased 52 homes through the program.
"Councils can seek funding for additional properties to be raised or purchased at any time," they said.
The government is also waiting for the flood inquiry to announce its findings at the end of July, with announcements expected to follow.
