ABOVE: The temporary housing site at Coraki is almost finished.
Susanna Freymark
Two new temporary housing sites for flood impacted residents will be operational by the end of next month.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the Coraki and Evans Head housing sites will open in late October dependent on the weather.
The temporary homes are rent-free for two years and power and water costs are included.
The homes are also called pods and are stand-alone accommodation that range from studios to three-bedroom units.
Some temporary homes will have their own internal facilities. Some sites will have communal bathrooms and kitchen facilities.
Residents are responsible for their own internet costs.
Residents can live in the pods while they find and settle back into long term housing.
Coraki: 5 Spring Street
The pods at the former hospital site at Coraki are in the final stages of construction.
Planting is being done around each unit.
There will be an official opening in October.
The temporary housing at this site will be available for up to three years. The time will depend on what is needed by the community.
Evans Head: Park Street
The Park St site can host up to 25 self-contained housing units which will be home to about 50 people.
These housing units will be located at the site for up to two years.
The Park St temporary accommodation site is on crown land that has been licenced by the State Government to provide temporary housing for local people who are unable to return home due to damage caused by the February and March floods.
The people who move into the Park St site will all be Northern Rivers residents and they will have been through an assessment and eligibility process before moving in.
People will be allocated to the Park St site according to a priority process that works to place people as close to their original homes as possible – the people who move into the Park St site will be from the Richmond Valley LGA or have lived close to it.
All Park St residents will sign an occupancy agreement before moving in. This sets out appropriate behaviour and conduct for living in the temporary accommodation.
A community housing provider will ensure there is appropriate security on-site and ensure residents stick to the occupancy agreement.
Pets will be permitted on a case-by-case basis with consideration given to the type of animal and if they are suitable to the housing unit.
Flood affected community members seeking housing support should register by calling Service NSW on 13 77 88.
