$285 Million to Provide Temporary Accommodation for Australian Flood Victims

Houses inundated with floodwaters from an overflowing Hawkesbury River are pictured in the NSW suburb of Windsor, near Sydney, Australia on March 9, 2022. (Saeed Khan/Getty Images)

As part of the New South Wales (NSW) flood relief efforts, the Federal and NSW governments have committed $285 million (US$209.3 million) to provide temporary housing for flood-affected communities.

The package will provide accommodation to flood victims who lost their homes in the recent disaster, ensuring people can access more immediate and medium-term accommodation.

This comes after floods devastated several regions of NSW and southeast Queensland over the past two weeks, with 17 lives lost and thousands of homes damaged or rendered unlivable.

Since Feb.22, 45 local government areas in NSW (LGAs) have been declared disaster zones and are eligible for support via Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Around 25,000 households will be assisted through this funding, meaning they can move out of emergency accommodation and find a more permanent place to reside, as well as have access to up to 16 weeks of rental support.

The package will also help fund on-site pods in rural areas, giving people the option of staying on their properties while they rebuild, as well as motorhomes and cabins to ensure flexibility of accommodation to meet different needs.

The funding will include $248 million ($182.1 million) for rental support, accessible by the end of March; $20 million ($14.7 million) to extend the temporary housing program through pod dwellings; $10 million ($7.34 million) to supply mobile motor homes, with the first 20 to be delivered by March 13; $4.5 million ($3.3 million) to help the Housing Flood Recovery Service manage long term housing needs and recovery; and $2.5 million ($1.84 million) for the hiring of recreation camps in the Northern Rivers.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said that with so many people displaced and many homes uninhabitable, getting people out of evacuation centres and hotels into stable accommodation is key to kickstarting the long recovery process.

“This housing support package will help put a roof over the heads of the thousands of people who have lost their homes to help them get back on their feet as quickly as possible,” he said.

“Rebuilding won’t be a quick process, and that is why we are using a flexible approach to provide people with the help they need now and into the future so communities can rebuild the homes and businesses as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, in coordination with the Australian Red Cross, Airbnb is offering free temporary accommodation to evacuees in flood-affected communities.

Hosts on Airbnb can volunteer their homes, and Airbnb will then work with the Australian Red Cross to get people into temporary accommodation.

Airbnb’s Country Manager for Australia, Susan Wheeldon, said she feels for those impacted by the floods.

“We are grateful for the generosity of our Host community and proud to support the work of the Australian Red Cross as they continue to coordinate closely with local emergency agencies and other local partners to help those in need,” she said.