About 400 homes will get new external paint, a new roof, new gutters or new windows.

Homes North CEO Maree McKenzie said some of them dated to the post-war period.

The renovations couldn't come at a better time, with the homes set to get new insulation installed just before winter.

It will improve quality of life for hundreds of families in Armidale and Tamworth, she said.

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"I think things like windows in particular mean better insulation for homes," she said.

"But I think the benefit really is the condition of the property is maintained. We're preventing leaks, we're preventing damage to properties that costs more money over time."

Ms McKenzie said social housing units get small-scale touch-ups on a rotational basis, but large-scale refurbishment is often deferred until absolutely needed. That can lead to a build-up of small problems that can eventually erode the building.

The capital works should extend the life of some of these homes.

The $3 million upgrade program is the biggest one-off refurbishment campaign Homes North has ever administered, she said.

The region will also get about a dozen new public housing units.

"There's lots more demand for smaller units of accommodation that have improved accessibility and thermal qualities," she said.

"The cost of heating and cooling and climate change means that the cost of living in some of the older houses is sometimes prohibitive. With the new roofing they'll have really good quality insulation, they'll have new windows. That's all about bringing those old properties up to standard."

Ms McKenzie said the upgrade would also employ several staff from the region's construction sub-contractors.

"I think there is a growing demand in regional areas. I think it's a great time to invest in social housing in our communities. Redeveloping some of the older sites where there's not the best use of the land," she said.

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The $3 million grant from the state government's Land and Housing Corporation has to be spent by June. There are homes across the New England North West, including Gunnedah, Narrabri and Moree, but with a majority in Armidale and Tamworth.

Homelessness services successfully housed most homeless people in NSW at the peak of the pandemic, after receiving financial support through the Together Home scheme to house people in motels and other immediate fixes. Designed to eliminate a potential vector for COVID-19 it also helped drive local homelessness to record lows.

The New England North West region has about 2500 public housing properties.

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