The shelves of Lismore artist Antoinette O’Brien’s studio were lined with art, including a year’s worth of unfired ceramic works, and personal belongings. The floods washed most of it away and devastated her home.

The past few weeks have been limbo for O’Brien, like many others in the flood-affected community. While the clean-up has been the primary focus, many are also contemplating where they will and if they should stay in the town.

O’Brien says while the floods have made the housing crisis more complex, she’s determined to stay with the community that has helped her survive the floods.

They include people who helped O’Brien clean up her home; the local gallery curator who is providing accommodation for O’Brien and her eight-year-old son; a woman in Sydney who started a fundraising page; and the group of old friends in Tasmania who will fly the mother and son down for a few days of reprieve.

“I have never wanted to stay somewhere so much,” O’Brien says. “That time in limbo has meant a lot of thinking about what is the best next move.”

O’Brien is just one of thousands of residents who have been displaced by the floods. As of March 18, there have been 10,300 damaged buildings, of which 4000 are not habitable. In the Northern Rivers region, which includes the Tweed, Lismore, Ballina region, 3580 buildings are not habitable.

The new wave of housing need compounds an already dire situation. Median house prices in Lismore, Ballina, Lennox Head and Byron Bay rose more than they did in both Brisbane and greater Sydney last year, according to Domain data. Meanwhile, median weekly asking prices for houses in the same area increased by more than 20 per cent last year.

The federal and state governments are administering a $285 million Temporary Housing Support Package to provide support for about 25,000 households.