Local flood recovery services such as financial counselling and mental health support will be among those sharing in a $1 million funding boost, the State Government has announced.
The funding will be provided to 20 grassroots community groups across the Tweed, Byron, Lismore, Kyogle, Ballina, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley, to help them continue their disaster recovery work in the areas most impacted by the 2022 floods.
The grants include funding to help extend the flood recovery financial counselling services offered by the Lismore and District Financial Counselling Service Incorporated.
The Wardell Community Organised Resilience Effort (CORE) will also receive funding to help it continue its support hub in the river town, which was heavily impacted by the 2022 disaster.
Several of the projects will continue to build on community-based communication networks which arose from the 2022 floods to help improve response and recovery capacity in towns like Nimbin, Burringbar and Coraki.
A full list of recipients and details of their projects can be found here.
‘Community groups have been playing a vital role as the Northern Rivers continues its recovery from the floods of 2022, and this allows it to continue,’ Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said.
‘We’ve met with several of these groups on our visits to the region and we have heard the message loud and clear that Northern Rivers residents need these services to continue.’
The funding will be facilitated by the Northern Rivers Community Foundation, a philanthropic trust which supports multiple causes across the region.
Its CEO Sam Henderson said the organisation was thrilled to facilitate the funding going into place-based organisations that had been the cornerstones of their community throughout the recovery.
‘We aim to build capacity at an individual and community scale, and support the Northern Rivers to thrive, building resilient communities that are better placed to respond and recover from disaster,’ Mr Henderson said.
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