More than 80 Lismore residents have had help getting a few rooms in their flood-impacted homes re-sheeted and habitable following the devastating 2022 floods.
The Two Rooms & a Bathroom project is being run by Resilient Lismore who are working with volunteers in partnership with the Reece Foundation, the Lismore Catholic Diocese, the Winsome, and Joel Jensen Constructions.
They currently have another 60 homes underway and have received ‘a commitment from the recently elected Labor Government of $5 million to fund to the project,’ said Resilient Lismore executive director and Lismore Councillor, Elly Bird.
Locally led
‘Our systems, our people and our partnerships are all in place and this additional funding commitment will allow us to ramp up our work and to help more people,’ she said.
‘We are grateful to the former Coalition Government for the support we have already received which has enabled some of our operational capacity for the last six months.
‘Recovery should be locally led which is what we are doing, and we are grateful to Janelle Saffin for recognising the importance of our work and for her ongoing support over the last year; and we look forward to continuing to work with her.’
The idea os that the projects helps residents ro ‘repair and return’ with a focus on ‘getting people back into safe, secure and warm housing’.
‘In some cases, this means erecting walls for two rooms (hence the name). In others it might be as simple as fixing a toilet, or installing a new hot water system. We are doing the best we can with the resources we have to help as many people as possible,’ say the organisers.
‘We are committed to helping as many people as possible so make sure you register if you or anyone you know still needs help. And, if you’d like to help out and learn some new carpentry skills while you do so (or if you already have them), we’d always welcome new volunteers!
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