On the first anniversary of record flooding in Northern Rivers, Social Futures, advocated through media for more social and affordable housing in regions impacted by extreme weather events.
CEO Tony Davies did interviews with most major Australian media outlets, including Seven, Nine, the ABC and News Corporation. In the three weeks leading up to the flood anniversary, Social Futures was mentioned in about 80 media stories, going out to an audience of 3.6 million people.
Watch highlights of media interviews with Mr Davies here.
Around 6,500 households have applied for the Resilient Homes Program to have their houses, repaired, raised or sold back to the government. (On average there are 2.1 people per household in the Northern Rivers.) A new Southern Cross University Study has found almost half of all flood-impacted people are still displaced 12 months after the disaster.
Social Futures, which has been operating in the Northern Rivers for 47 years, is calling for the construction of social and affordable housing to be a central part of the recovery plan for areas hit by natural disasters, like floods and bush fires.
“A big investment in social housing in the Northern Rivers will help our community get back on its feet. We are calling on the NSW and Federal governments to commit resources,” Mr Davies said.
The Insurance Council of Australia has released data showing that the 2022 February-March floods are now the most expensive natural disaster in Australian history – with claims exceeding $5.65 billion.
