Canberrans with a holiday house at the South Coast have been urged to make their homes available as rentals for people who have been displaced by bushfires that tore through the region.
NSW member for Bega Andrew Constance said many displaced people on the South Coast were in need of accommodation.
"If you can make your coast home, your recreation home available to local people who will be able to be housed there over the short and medium term while people rebuild," he said.
"We really need to free up the housing stock for people and those non-residential ratepayers whose homes have survived.
"It provides a homeless family with a roof over their head for the next few months as they get sorted and rebuild on their blocks."
Mr Constance called on people from Canberra, as well those in Sydney and Melbourne, who have a holiday house to make them available to those in need.
"We have people living in caravan parks, hotel rooms with neighbours, with friends [and] in sheds. We have to get people placed and one solution to that is from freeing up many coast homes that exist," he said.
If you own a holiday home on the NSW South Coast – we need your help.
— Andrew Constance MP (@AndrewConstance) January 13, 2020
We need rentals to help support families who have lost everything in the bushfires and need a place to stay.@garethjward#nswpol#nswfirespic.twitter.com/ABZbmdSAXA
Family Services Minister Gareth Ward said holiday homeowners who wished to make their property available for rent should contact a real estate agent as that would enable NSW Communities and Justice to assist.
"Get on the phone to your local real estate agent where you own a property because my department can assist with rental bonds, rental assistance for everybody but most importantly a home for people," he said.
Last week Mr Ward announced a dedicated housing assistance service for those impacted by bushfires.
The Bushfire Housing Assistance Service would help people with emergency temporary accommodation, rental bond assistance, advance rental costs and with sourcing accommodation options.
"This service will make it easier for residents impacted by these tragic bushfires to access support and secure a home or safe place to stay as soon as possible," Mr Ward said.
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Raine and Horne Batemans Bay director Adam Porteous said the agency had fielded many calls from people who were in urgent need of properties.
He said many displaced people were in temporary accommodation that would run out at the end of January.
"Everyone wants to give a hand to people. Australians are wanting to know how they can directly assist and this is one way they can," Mr Porteous said.
Mr Porteous, who lost his own home in the fires, said agencies were ensuring that price gouging would not become an issue.
He said Canberrans with holiday homes were among those who had offered them as a rental.
"There has been a massive amount of support from Canberra," he said.
The NSW Rural Fire Service has confirmed 2176 homes have been destroyed this fire season. Of those, 1260 homes have burnt down since New Year's Eve and many of those were on the South Coast.
