Yesterday's announcement of an extension to the Repair to Return program to approximately 80 flood-affected properties in Lismore and the Northern Rivers was a little light on detail early in the day.

During a press conference at the offices of Resilient Lismore, more details were revealed to give a better understanding of what will be covered during the final phase of the program, which started as the Two Rooms Project soon after the 2022 floods.

The amount of funding given to Resilient Lismore by the not-for-profit donation platform GIVIT, was not clarified by Head of Engagement Christina Spehr.

Ms Spehr did say that $12.8 million worth of donated funds has been distributed across the region to assist with repairs.

"We're working closely with resilient Lismore and assessing those cases on a case-by-case basis. We're really committed to supporting the long-term recovery of people who were impacted by the floods, so we're here for the long haul, and we'll continue to assess that on a case-by-case basis.

"It depends on the cases. So, a kitchen costs a different amount to a bathroom. For as long as we can support, we will continue to support."

Resilient Lismore Executive Director Elly Bird said this funding signified the end of the Repair to Return program.

"We do know that people still need help, and we really encourage people out there in the community to come forward. Now, it's unlikely there'll be more on the other end of this. So, this is the end of our repair work. Please, do come forward and seek some assistance from us while you can.

"We've chosen 80 as a number because we think that's achievable within the timeframe that we've got ahead of us. We are trying to wrap this program up by June next year, and we are working in an environment where we have to work with the availability of trades, we have to work with the capacity of our team. And so we've chosen 80 as a goal. If we can do more, we absolutely will."

"We cover the whole region, so we cover all seven LGAs of the Northern Rivers. Anyone that's been affected by the 22 disaster can seek help from us. We just want to make sure people are living safely and with dignity. It's been a while since the '22 disaster, so let's work together to make sure that we can get those homes as strong as we possibly can.

As was stated, the Repair to Return Program has helped 359 homes since the February 28 2022, flood. Ms Bird is looking for those people who have not sought help, those who may not be using mainstream media.

"Our preference is to invite people who haven't had any assistance from us to come forward for further assistance. We do know that the best way for people to know about this program is word of mouth, because the folks that we are trying to reach at this stage of the recovery are people who probably aren't very well connected. They don't get email newsletters, they're not watching the TV that much. We know that the people that we want to reach aren't super connected, and probably not across all of the programs that are available.

"So we really encourage people to use word of mouth in circumstances, exceptional circumstances, where we've just done the tiny bit of work in the early part of our program, we may go back into other homes, but our preference is to try to find people that still need our help and haven't had any yet.

"We're in Lismore. We're in heavily impacted downstream communities, like Coraki, Wardell, Woodburn, we're working up in Tweed. We know that many people have got those homes up and functional, but they might still be living with really damaged cabinetry in their kitchens. They might still be living with temporary fixes. They might still have plumbing and essential needs that don't work. Their staircases might still be quite unsafe, so it might be hard to access the home.

"There's lots of things that people still need to fix. And we know from the flood zone survey that we did last year that people have just run out of money, so they're probably making do. We know that people have repaired their homes to a certain level, but there's probably still work to do.

"It was a big event, many thousands of homes. So we're asking people to make sure that their friends, their neighbours, their families know about this program and come and seek some support from us."

When asked what impact fixing kitchen cabinetry or making a staircase safer will have on the recipients, Ms Bird said, "I think sometimes people get used to living with where they've got their homes to, and so when our team come in and repair the kitchen or replace the kitchen with flood resilient materials, for example, people are surprised by what a difference it makes in their lives, because they have just gotten used to living with how things are."

Lismore App readers can help with regard to finding the people who suffered damage in the 2022 floods, who have quietly gone about rebuilding their homes and their lives, but may not be aware that help is available to them. Through your social connections, if you know someone who fits the bill, contact Resilient Lismore by phone 0455 218 692 or email hello@resilientlismore.org.au.