For two years, people have been living free of charge in temporary housing villages known as pods.
The 11 housing pod villages including ones at Coraki and Evans Head were set up after the 2022 flood disaster in response to the housing crisis.
NSW Reconstruction Authority said the villages were always intended to be temporary and were aimed at helping residents get their lives back on track after the floods.
The Authority has now said residents in the pod villages will be required to contribute to the cost of their housing.
This will be done through a licence fee which will be income tested and set at either the average rate for accommodation of a similar type in the area, or at a reduced rate based on an income assessment undertaken by the Community Housing Provider managing each village.
The licence fee will be in line with similar payments required under existing social housing programs.
The Reconstruction Authority said it was working with Homes NSW to see if some villages could be repurposed to meet ongoing housing needs in the region.
“This could help to provide more housing options while solutions to increase the supply of social and affordable housing are under development”, the Authority said.
The leases will eventually come to an end mid-2025.
This information was provided by the NSW Reconstruction Authority.
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