Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson was in Northern Rivers today announcing 70 new units in Tweed Shire to help with homelessness.
The Minister had previously been booked to speak at today’s Southern Cross University’s Land, Sharing and the Law: Innovative solutions to the housing crisis forum but had pulled out of the engagement as she was no longer available.
‘We regret that the Minister is no longer available for this event but wish the organisers a successful conference,’ a spokesperson told The Echo.
‘Minister Jackson is looking forward to visiting the North Coast on Friday, February 28 and will enjoy productive meetings with Local MP Janelle Saffin, Federal Member Justine Elliott and Tweed Shire Council.
‘The focus of this visit is to prioritise specific housing-related activities in the Northern Rivers region, including identifying buildings to be converted into crisis accommodation and meeting with locals who were impacted by the 2022 floods.’
70 temporary beds
In partnership with Homes NSW, community housing provider Social Futures plans to deliver 70 temporary beds at Tweed Heads, with wraparound support to help vulnerable locals get back on their feet.
The former residential village for over 55s was sitting vacant and unused since it was put on the market in 2023.
‘Soon, it will provide a safe place to stay for community members including seniors and people with a disability, with the first stage of the project to deliver 20 new homes in coming weeks,’ said the press release.
This project was made possible by a $525,800 grant from the first round of the $100 million Homelessness Innovation Fund.
Minister Jackson said, ‘We know we need smarter solutions to deliver housing, faster – and last year, we created the Homelessness Innovation Fund to do just that.
‘The Fund is about giving trusted community housing and homelessness organisations such as Social Futures a solid foundation to trial new approaches as we work together to tackle the housing crisis.
‘We want to move away from relying on expensive hotels and motels for temporary accommodation. These are not appropriate places for the elderly, people with disabilities or families – particularly women and children fleeing domestic violence.
‘This project will give vulnerable people in the region access to the care and resources they need – not just a roof over their heads.’
The grants support new and improved approaches to tackling homelessness and are available to accredited homelessness services, registered Community Housing Providers, Aboriginal Community Housing Providers and those working toward accreditation or registration.
The first funding round backed 24 projects, distributing nearly $10 million, including $768,862 to Social Futures to convert a disused aged care facility into crisis accommodation in Lismore.
‘I have been deeply engaged with Tweed Shire Council, community housing providers like Social Futures and others to address the long-standing issue of homelessness in the Tweed, made worse by the 2022 floods which impacted parts of Murwillumbah and surrounds particularly hard,’ said Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery and State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin.
‘This repurposing model, whereby a vacant facility can be easily converted into managed temporary accommodation, will work well here in Tweed Heads, where the need is great.’
Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot highlighted that this was the stat and federal government working together to address the issues of housing affordability, rental stress, and homelessness.
Social Futures CEO Tony Davies said, ‘by working collaboratively with government, council, and community partners, we’re not only increasing the availability of temporary accommodation – we’re creating a pathway to lasting, positive change.
‘With onsite access to wrap-around support services, security and 24/7 onsite management we can deliver safe, supportive temporary accommodation that empowers people to regain stability and independence as they work toward securing long-term housing.’
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