Vulnerable citizens deal with a fight to discover food and somewhere dry to sleep when flood waters decline and short-term shelters shut.

Nearly 800 people have actually sought haven in NSW evacuation centres but their status as pop-up homes for some will disappear after the impact of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred passes.

Kim Kennedy, Vinnies' regional real estate and homelessness manager for northeast NSW, has been on the cutting edge supporting individuals sleeping rough in flooded zones.

Her task was made harder on Monday due to damage to Fred's Place, the Tweed Heads drop-in centre where she is based, with constant rains the space.

On any provided day, the centre serves about 130 hot meals to those in need but showers and laundry facilities run out commission up until the flood damage is fixed.

"It has been a horrendous time for the homeless community," Ms Kennedy told AAP.

"It has been truly challenging attempting to get them any type of shelter."

She stated the homeless were searching for any dry locations they might sleep throughout a northern NSW region currently handling an alarming scarcity of economical housing.

"We've been helping out an entire family sleeping in their car," Ms Kennedy said.

"Seeing them in this horrendous weather condition is really horrible."

The Byron Shire city government area, south of Tweed Heads, had the most rough sleepers of any council area in the state, according to a 2024 federal government street count.

"We absolutely do have a housing issue in the Northern Rivers and we require services," Ms Kennedy stated.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said evacuation centres established in schools, universities, health clubs and clubs could not act as a long-term repair to entrenched real estate issues in the region.

"I am completely familiar with the significant obstacles for real estate in the Northern Rivers, but evacuation centres are not irreversible services ... we do not have the resources, the staffing, the time, the allocation," he stated.

The centres would close in all locations once local emergency orders were raised, Mr Minns added.

"So I wish to apologise in advance however we have to draw a really clear and understood line."

More than 10,000 people were under emergency warnings in NSW on Monday early morning, while 1800 people were isolated by floodwaters.

About 10,000 homes and companies were still not linked to power as heavy rain continued to fall in many areas.

Major flood warnings were still in location for parts of the Clarence and Richmond rivers, while clean-up operations were under way in other places.

In Pottsville, between Tweed Heads and Byron Bay, a whale carcass was amongst the particles that cleaned up after huge swells battered the coastline for days.

Residents from 17 NSW city government areas who had lost income due to the storm would be qualified for federal catastrophe relief funds for up to 13 weeks, it was revealed on Monday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the financial support would be backed by mental health services for impacted locations.

"We have actually got your back, that's my message to neighborhoods here," he said from Lismore on Monday.

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