The NSW Government has extended the length of time people can stay in emergency accommodation before they have to reapply, giving certainty to residents who have been displaced from their homes in the flood emergency.
Minister for Families and Communities Natasha Maclaren-Jones said the NSW Government is committed to reducing the stress on those impacted by the floods.
“We are already assisting thousands of people with accommodation as these communities recover from the devastating impact of the floods,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
“We have extended the length of time people can stay in emergency accommodation without re-applying, from seven days to 28 days, and are linking those people with the medium-term accommodation which best suits their situation.”
The NSW Government’s $285 million Temporary Housing Support Package has the capacity to assist around 25,000 households.
People displaced by the floods will soon have access to up to 16 weeks’ rental support, temporary ‘pod’ dwellings, mobile motor homes, accommodation in recreation camps, plus a housing brokerage service enabling the Australian Red Cross to work with private rental companies, such as Airbnb and Stayz, to link people with accommodation.
Camplify will also work with the Australian Red Cross to match disaster affected people with free caravans and campervans that owners have offered to flood victims through the Camplify site.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the NSW Government will continue to provide co-ordinated support to individuals, households, primary producers and small businesses impacted by the flood disaster.
“The NSW Government is committed to ensuring flood-impacted residents and businesses have access to the support they need,” Ms Cooke said.
“The flood recovery is stressful enough without having to reapply for emergency accommodation every seven days, and it is crucial we give flood victims certainty around where they will be able to stay in the weeks ahead.”
For more information, go to: www.nsw.gov.au/floods.