Ballina Holiday Park will provide temporary accommodation to people who have lost their homes in the floods.
Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson said the Crown land site would be used to respond to one of the worst flooding events on record by providing accommodation for impacted communities.
“The Reflections Holiday Park at Ballina is just 40 minutes from Lismore and will be used exclusively for short-term accommodation to help people who have lost homes or were otherwise displaced by the Northern Rivers floods,” Mr Anderson said.
“The park has nine cabins and 50 powered camp sites, which can be used by people in need. It also has a camp kitchen with fridge, barbecue, TV, laundry, shower and toilet block as well as an accessible bathroom and a family bathroom.”
Minister for Families and Communities Natasha Maclaren-Jones said the Department of Communities and Justice will coordinate bookings at the Ballina Holiday Park starting on Monday.
“We will be allocating cabins and sites to people who are most in need and provide access to associated social support services,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
“This will be funded by the NSW Government for up to five months to support people in their time of need by providing safe and secure accommodation.”
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said providing housing relief is one of the most important first steps in the recovery process.
“It’s important that people who have lost everything have somewhere to live as they begin the difficult task of rebuilding their lives,” Ms Cooke said.
“Temporary accommodation like this will give people in our flood-affected communities a base to begin the recovery process.”
Reflections Holiday Parks CEO Nick Baker said his team was happy to make Ballina Holiday Park available in order to support the community during a time of incredible suffering and hardship.
“Reflections Holiday Parks will continue to manage the park and ensure incoming residents have powered sites and safe accommodation,” Mr Baker said.
The Reflections team at Ballina will provide cleaning services for cabins and amenities including laundered sheets and towels on a weekly basis, and coordinate security services and waste removal for those on site.
For further information on flood recovery support visit www.nsw.gov.au/floods