Our hearts go out to anyone in Southeast Queensland and Northern New South Wales who has been affected by the recent flooding due to the storm event.
Firstly and thankfully our tenants and Valerie and Paul are all safe – exhausted but safe.
These weather events cause a great deal of stress to all tenants especially those who have been homeless and looking at the possibility of not having a roof over their heads again.
Two of our projects for homelessness have been affected one in Lismore South the other in Mullumbimby.
I visited the Mullumbimby project on Sunday with fresh water and other essential clean up goods. It took my breathe away to witness the length and breathe of the destruction and havoc – mud 30cms deep through the house, water 4 foot up the walls, white goods, furniture and personal belongings washed away, tenants sleeping on mattresses on the muddy floor; no phones/internet/EFT available; CASH only for groceries, petrol or replacement white goods. The people living on the street in cars outside the community center, volunteers, SES, Army and clean up vehicles.
As an organization we lease the properties for the projects. The owners carry the house insurance however this does not extend to the tenants’ possessions. They have all lost everything and have no insurance. The tenants have been working tirelessly cleaning and clearing the houses – sifting through the mud for something – a small memento or treasure that the river has left behind.
To help these tenants from having to pay out of pocket expenses to repair the damage or replace their own possessions we have stopped their rent and am attempting to supply support.
We also have a number of Angelus Community Members who live in the effected areas and if possible, would like to extend some assistance to them.
Many of these members had no insurance as they could not afford the premium – some have told me that their policy was as much as $20,000 for 12 months.
We want to help them, so would appreciate any help we can get from you.
We remind you that we are a registered charity and all donations over $2 are fully tax deductible. All donations will go to the intended purpose on the ground.
Stay safe, our thoughts are with all of those affected!
Katherine Whitehouse
CEO
Angelus Community Housing
