The Minns Labor Government is taking important steps to address homelessness in the Northern Rivers, transforming a vacant retirement village into 70 supported temporary accommodation units.
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.
The NSW Government is taking decisive action to transform underutilised properties into secure, supported accommodation, run by experienced community housing providers-reducing reliance on costly hotels and motels.
Temporary accommodation is more than just immediate shelter, it's a lifeline that helps prevent homelessness, connecting people with essential support services for long-term stability and better outcomes.
This project was made possible by a $525,800 grant from the first round of the $100 million Homelessness Innovation Fund.
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.
Round two recipients will be announced soon, with applications open until 30 April 2025.
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The Homelessness Innovation Fund is a key part of the NSW Government's $6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW program, which will deliver:
- 8,400 new public housing homes
- 21,000 affordable and market homes
- Upgrades to 30,000 social housing properties
This investment reflects the NSW Government's commitment to tackling homelessness, increasing housing supply and delivering better outcomes for regional communities.
Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said:
"Homelessness and housing are impacting people right across the state, but this is being felt particularly hard here in the Northern Rivers region.
"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."
Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery and State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:
"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.
"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.
"I congratulate Homes NSW and Social Futures on partnering in the Soorley Street project, which importantly, has wraparound support services for people who will live in the units."
Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot MP said:
"Our community on the North Coast has one of the highest rates of homelessness across NSW and that's why this project is vitally important for our region.
"The Federal and State Labor Governments are working together to address the issues of housing affordability, rental stress, and homelessness.
"The NSW Labor Government funding of $525,800 towards these 70 new supported temporary accommodation units in Tweed Heads will provide urgent relief for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
"Social Futures is a trusted community housing and homelessness organisation that works across the region providing important support and services."
Social Futures CEO Tony Davies said:
"Transforming this vacant property into supported temporary accommodation for people experiencing homelessness provides immediate relief for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
"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.
