Based in Tabulam, Container of Dreams research, develop, build and provide innovative micro-housing and emergency relief to communities in the Clarence Valley, Richmond Valley and Kyogle Shire.

A $10,000 grant as part of the 2021 Recovery and Resilience Grant went a long way in developing an innovative solution to help those hit by recent disasters by way of building a fleet of four Rapid Response Disaster Relief Mobile Accommodation Units.

The units are initially being utilised to assist the victims of the Black Summer bushfires. In future they will be deployed in future natural disasters, such as floods, fires, or in any case of need in our community, such as fleeing domestic violence or homelessness.

Each basic unit is fitted out with essentials such as a sleeping area, small kitchenette and a cassette toilet. There are two family units, one unit for couples and one to suit an individual, providing flexibility to respond to different needs for temporary accommodation.

“After the catastrophic bushfires, we learnt that we need to have capacity to immediately respond to these types of crises from within our community as assistance is often a long way away, and can take several hours, days, weeks or even months to appear,” said Dr Clare Urquhart, CEO Container of Dreams.

“We have learnt that people need to be housed in accommodation immediately. With the help of the Northern Rivers Community Foundation, our community will now have a small fleet of Rapid Response Mobile Accommodation Units to respond to this need.”

Members of the community shared the following;

“During the bushfires it was extremely hard to help people relax and be somewhat comfortable at the makeshift evac centre we put together in Drake due to not enough amenities. People had to sleep in cars” Sherilee

“To know that the community has these units right here, in our community, to help out when there’s a disaster or if someone is in distress, well, yeah, I sleep better at night, knowing that”’ Paul (also a member of the local RFS)

“Help isn’t coming from anywhere else” John

“What a wonderful idea, you girls are amazing!” Jane

“It’s good to know that someone’s got our backs in times of trouble, because we are left to our own devices otherwise” Cass

“No-one seemed to give a damn about us before” Terry

You can help give the gift of a home to someone without one by donating directly to help the Container of Dreams Team reach their fundraising goal for their Operation Tiny Homes initiative HERE