It's been four weeks since Lauren De Groot's home in Lismore was flooded and deemed unlivable.
In a hand-me-down caravan, she spends sleepless nights cuddled up to her three-year-old daughter, listening to the howling winds of the New South Wales north coast and the waves crashing on the nearby beach.
Occasionally she might jump at the odd creak of the caravan or an infrequent rattle of the door handle.
"It's terrifying," the single mother told 7.30. "I am concerned every day about the people that could be around [my daughter], the people that could potentially be around us."
Ms De Groot is one of many residents of the north coast area who have been left homeless by the recent floods.
"We have nowhere to go, we have none of our possessions and we aren't getting anything from the government — all of these promises that aren't been followed through on," she said.
The caravan Ms De Groot lives in has been lent to her by a friend for only six months, and she has to pay for it to be parked at a Ballina caravan park.
Tragically, Ms De Groot has been through this before. In 2021 her house burned down in a bushfire.
"That house burned down in the middle of the night. I had to carry my daughter in my arms as it burned down around us," she said.
"We are homeless. We were homeless for three months after the fire, and after I finally managed to get someone to give me a chance in a rental where I was paying a ridiculous rate of rent that left me on the poverty line … I just can't see a way forward."
She's hoping to receive a grant that will allow her to build a "tiny house" and has started a GoFundMe page.
'I don't know where to go or what to do'
North Coast Community Housing estimates 3,800 homes have been deemed unlivable as a result of the recent floods and believes thousands have nowhere to go.
The NSW government said it had provided emergency accommodation in hotels and motels for about 3,000 people.
"In addition to hotels, we have a range of temporary solutions in place for the next three to four months in flood impacted areas, including 16 weeks' rental support and motorhomes where appropriate,” a spokesperson for the NSW government said.
But Colin Brown, who lost his home in the floods, believes he has "slipped through the cracks".
A former radiator installer who's lived in Lismore for 40 years, he's unable to walk and uses a wheelchair.
But the lack of accessible public housing means he's been forced to live in his car.
"I don't know where to go or what to do. I just sit in the car all day," he said
"Somewhere to shower would be nice, a bathroom to get in and out of. It's a bit hard."
He told 7.30 he had been offered accommodation that wasn't accessible to him due to his disability.
"I have no idea what I'll do. When you leave here, I'll just hop in my car and live in my car all day," he said.
"I've just fallen through the cracks and I don't know how it's going to get fixed."
Community advocates believe the issues around housing have existed in the area for many years.
North Coast Community Housing CEO John McKenna said he'd been lobbying all levels of government to improve the situation in the area for a decade.
"We already had a housing crisis here where four of our local government areas here had declared housing emergencies before the flood," Mr McKenna said.
He said Lismore had historically attracted lower-income families which could only afford to live in flood-prone areas.
"The more affordable housing is in north and south Lismore that's always been flood-prone ... It's attracted lower-income families because it's more attractive to buy and to rent there."
He said the housing crisis was so dire after the flood that many residents had opted to return to their houses which were unlivable, and many people were in temporary accommodation due to demand for motels during Easter and the upcoming Bluesfest event in nearby Byron Bay.
"We're going to have more people displaced over Easter and you can imagine the trauma that's causing families, so I don't think it's acceptable that in 2022 we don't have a response to this," he said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the federal government was providing direct financial support payments and grants to NSW residents, businesses and community groups affected by the recent flooding.
They said the NSW government was responsible for housing.
A spokesperson for the NSW government said anyone affected by the floods and needing housing should contact them.
"No-one should be without a roof over their head due to the floods. Anyone who requires help can call 13 77 88, or visit a recovery centre," they said.
"Every person who comes to us for support for accommodation will get it."
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