Housing and Homelessness

Pod villages were meant to be temporary. For residents, they became home.

Ritchelle Drilon
September 25, 2026

The closure of temporary housing villages in the Northern Rivers has raised questions about what happens to residents who cannot secure a long-term home.

Temporary accommodation is intended to provide stability while people move towards permanent housing. But for some residents of the Northern Rivers’ pod villages, the transition out of temporary accommodation is creating another period of housing uncertainty.

House You, an organisation advocating for people living in the villages, says some residents have been offered options including short motel stays, tents and vehicles as they prepare to leave. The organisation argues these arrangements do not amount to viable long-term housing and is calling for residents to remain in the villages until they have secure housing pathways.

The issue highlights a broader challenge facing the homelessness sector: what happens when temporary accommodation reaches the end of its funding or operating period but affordable and social housing is still unavailable?

From temporary accommodation to another housing crisis

The pod villages were established as temporary accommodation following the Northern Rivers floods. For residents who could not return to their previous homes, the villages became an important source of housing stability.

House You says at least 157 households remain across the villages and that most are already on the social housing waiting list. The organisation is concerned that closing the villages before replacement housing is available could further reduce the region’s already limited supply of affordable and community housing. Homes NSW has said residents will not be evicted into homelessness.

House You disputes whether some of the proposed transition arrangements meet that standard, citing cases where residents have reportedly been directed towards short-term motel accommodation, tents or vehicles.

The distinction matters because temporary shelter does not necessarily provide the stability associated with permanent housing.

A family’s search for a home

Kellie Holmes and her family of six lived at the Lismore pod village while trying to secure a private rental.

According to House You, the family made multiple rental applications and used a $10,000 Homes NSW exit payment in an attempt to secure a property. They were unable to find a suitable home.

After leaving the village, the family spent $1,700 on a week’s accommodation at a motel in Alstonville, while their belongings were placed in storage. Holmes told House You the family did not know where they would live after the motel stay. Her experience illustrates the difficulty facing households that fall between different parts of the housing system: they may not qualify for social housing under existing income rules, while also being unable to secure an affordable private rental.

Residents face different transition options

Other residents have described similar uncertainty. House You says Andrea Fraser, a mother of four living at the Brunswick Heads pod village, was told by Social Futures, which provides case management and transition support, that she would be provided with a tent when she leaves the village.

House You has also reported seeing a case-planning worksheet that listed a vehicle, such as a car, van or recreational vehicle, alongside other temporary options. These claims have not been independently verified.

For residents already facing housing insecurity, however, the uncertainty itself is significant. House You says residents have reported anxiety, sleeplessness and distress as their departure dates approach without confirmed long-term housing.

The villages have different futures

The future of the pod villages varies across the Northern Rivers. Wardell is expected to remain open while residents wait for the rebuilding of Cabbage Tree Island, providing a clear pathway back to permanent housing for affected residents.

The future of other villages is less certain.

House You says there is no confirmed reuse plan for the Ballina and Coraki villages, while the future of the Mullumbimby site remains undecided.

The Brunswick Heads village has a proposed future as social housing. Byron Shire Council has previously indicated plans to reuse the site for this purpose, but House You argues that residents are being asked to leave before that arrangement is in place.

Lismore also has potential plans for social housing on the existing site, but House You says the arrangements remain unconfirmed.

The different approaches raise a fundamental question for temporary housing programs: when a site can potentially continue providing accommodation, should it remain available until replacement housing is ready?

The challenge for the homelessness sector

The Northern Rivers experience points to a problem that extends beyond the pod villages.

Temporary accommodation can provide an important safety net, but it cannot solve a shortage of permanent housing. When temporary programs end without enough social, community or affordable housing available, people can be moved from one form of housing insecurity to another.

For NFPs working in homelessness and housing, this creates a difficult operating environment. Service providers can help people navigate applications, access financial assistance and prepare for a move, but they cannot create housing that does not exist.

A successful transition therefore requires more than an exit date. It requires a realistic pathway to somewhere permanent.

That may involve social housing, community housing, an affordable private rental or a return to a rebuilt home. The appropriate pathway will differ between households, but the underlying need is the same: somewhere safe and stable to live.

Temporary accommodation needs a long-term pathway

House You is calling for the NSW Government, councils, landowners, Homes NSW and village managers to delay closures until residents have confirmed long-term housing options. It has also called for the villages to be extended for five years while additional public and community housing is developed. Those proposals remain a matter for government and the organisations responsible for the sites.

Temporary accommodation only works as a pathway out of homelessness when there is somewhere to go next. For people who have already experienced displacement, uncertainty and housing insecurity, another move without a secure destination can simply continue the cycle.

The Northern Rivers pod villages were built as temporary accommodation. For the people who live in them, they have become homes. Any transition needs to account for that reality.