Their Byron neighbours live in $2m homes. These villagers are being evicted

The anxiety is palpable at the Northern Rivers temporary pod villages as eviction day looms.

The villages consist of dozens of demountables set up on council land, including a village on Tweed Street in Brunswick Heads, following the devastating 2022 floods. They sit alongside a booming real estate market where three-bedroom homes sell for more than $2 million.

Only six temporary pod villages remain, following the decommissioning of five others last year. Residents not on a social housing waitlist were told to vacate last week, while the remaining 167 households have until September, ahead of full decommissioning in December.

But in a region with rental vacancies of 0.5 per cent, locals say there’s nowhere to go.

Residents told this masthead they’ve been offered unofficial cash-in-hand rentals that render them ineligible for additional financial support. Others rent discounted Airbnbs only to be displaced when peak-season bookings arrive.

One elderly resident said she was advised to get rid of her pets to secure accommodation, with the stress making her feel like she was going to have a heart attack. Some are still paying mortgages for unlivable properties as they await resilience funding to rebuild.

There’s been a 41 per cent increase in the number of rough sleepers people counted in Lismore since 2020, according to Homes NSW statewide street count.

Suebee* and her 15-year-old son have moved multiple times since their Mullumbimby rental was flooded in 2022. After bouncing between short-term rentals and staying with friends, they moved into the Brunswick Heads pod village in 2023.

“I’ve lost track of the number of times we’ve had to move, find accommodation and apply for rentals,” she said.

Stable accommodation enabled Suebee, who lives with chronic fatigue and PTSD following the 2017 floods, to secure stable work. Staying in the region has also allowed her son to remain at the same high school, where she said support has been “incredible”.

“With housing security you can consistently show up for employment and for your community versus when you’re floundering in survival mode,” she said.

Suebee contributes 30 per cent of her income to Homes NSW, which manages the villages, and must submit proof of regular rental applications. To meet this quota, she applies for properties outside her budget, resulting in rejections. “It’s demoralising,” she said.

“For rental agencies, we’re at the bottom of the list compared to two-income households.”

Jasmine** moved into the village with her 10-year-old daughter in November 2025 after their rental burned down in an electrical fire. She was told to vacate by July 29, so she secured a rental, but it fell through when the landlord decided to sell.

‘I just thought, I cannot be homeless and lose a parent at the same time.’

“I completely broke down; the eviction date was nine days away,” she said. Adding to her stress, her critically ill mother was also taken to hospital.

“I just thought, I cannot be homeless and lose a parent at the same time. I was sick; all the stress of uncertainty caught up with me,” she said.

Her extension came through less than 24 hours before her eviction date, and she now has until September 30 to find somewhere else.

Judy Corner is 84 and moved into the village in February after years of short-term or insecure housing. Most of her belongings are in storage.

She’s on a priority social housing list but, given the looming eviction date, has been calling Homes NSW for months to be bumped up to the highest priority list. The ombudsman is now assisting.

“The anxiety has been palpable, you can feel it in the air,” she said.

“At my age, I can’t sleep in a car. I want quality of life.” She said she’s been offered an aged care placement, but isn’t ready to give up her independence.

Homes NSW said there have been 249 social and affordable homes made available since 2023, with another 154 expected by June 2027. A spokesperson said relocations from the villages were being staggered to ensure residents can receive “the maximum amount of support in securing other housing options”.

“Supporting residents to transition to appropriate long-term accommodation remains the priority,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said no one had been left homeless following the earlier closure of pod villages, but would not confirm how long they monitored residents.

The pods have been flagged for use to support affordable, social, transitional, crisis or key worker housing, with specific uses expected to be finalised by the end of the year.

Byron Council Shire Mayor Sarah Ndiaye said unlike neighbouring councils, no new social or public homes have been delivered in the shire.

“Pushing people out of the pods before there is anywhere for them to actually go feels cruel and premature,” she said.

“For many in the time since the floods, those things are the only stability some people have had.”

She’s advocating for the villages to remain, with the option for those who don’t qualify for social housing are charged market rent.

Founder of housing advocacy group House You, Chels Hood Withey, who has been assisting residents in their social housing applications, said the villages were already functioning as community housing and should continue to do so.

“Every time the funding runs out, the residents get given letters and live in complete fear,” she said.

“We know so many who are homeless, and it breaks your heart.”