I thought there was no money Martin Foley?

30 odd years ago Community Housing was set up to be self sufficient and non reliant on Government financial or property hand outs, the following articles will prove these as lies! at the expense of those who can least afford it. And as we seem to be following the UK model of transferring public stock into private hands, I will  happily throw in a few articles from the UK to show how "well " that has worked out for the people who need it the most.

Before the last election, Martin Foley stated he would not be transferring any Public Housing property to Community Housing groups. He seems to be doing the opposite now.

Public Housing claim that it doesn't have money nor does it have enough homes to house any part of the 30,000 + on the Public waiting list ... these are both false ...

He had $5M to give to Port Phillip Housing Association to purchase a property in Elwood ... lets put this out there .. Port Phillip Housing Association is in his electorate ... need I say more?
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/st-kilda-city-gate-apartments-escape-developers-to-remain-as-homes-for-needy-20160827-gr2mki.html

He has provided $48.8M for a Rapid Housing Assistance Fund grant for Community Housing groups. This money could and should have been used for exactly the same thing for underutilised and Public Housing properties in need of rebuilding etc ... but instead the money goes to private groups
http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/funded-agency-channel/spotlight/rapid-housing-assistance-fund-grants-now-open

Out of $120M, from what I can read out of the following article, only $30M is being spent on Public Housing. The balance (including the $5M to Port Phillip Housing to purchase City Gate apartments in St Kilda), the  balance is to be used for "social housing (terminology for Community Housing meaning privatised) on underutilised public housing land ... meaning the title of this land owned by Public Housing being transferred to Community Housing. And of course monies for short-term housing for the homeless. We need this... but not at peoples expense especially when the government can use this money for its own properties and keep the properties in government hands.
https://284532a540b00726ab7e-ff7c063c60e1f1cafc9413f00ac5293c.ssl.cf4.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/160906-Social-Housing-Pipeline-To-Provide-More-Homes-.pdf 

These houses and lands belong to the Victorian Public. Community Housing groups are supposed to be self sufficient... but instead are still heavily reliant on the public purse even though the public get no direct benefit from these housing whereas with Public Housing you  do eventually have that chance.

I bet within a 19 months I could improve the quality and shorten the waiting list for Public Housing ... but Martin Foley and all politicians don't seem to c are about those who can't afford to either pay market rent or afford their own homes.... while the waiting lists and homelessness gets worse ...

What is really happening to our public housing?

Public Housing in Victoria (as it is now known) was established in 1938 to improve existing housing conditions and to provide adequate housing for persons of limited means. Now it seems like the state of Victoria is going backwards.

While people are languishing in hotels etc after having to live in rat infested homes
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/mice-motels-and-misery-what-its-like-when-a-home-is-out-of-reach-20160907-gras4x.html

And the waiting list soars while the state government dawdles on redeveloping some of its sites
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/public-housing-redevelopments-delayed-while-waiting-list-soars-20160508-gop28t.html

The government are handing over Public Housing properties worth up to $500million to an Aboriginal housing organisation
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-05/vic-hands-over-500m-housing-to-aboriginal-corporation/7813358

Meanwhile the same government are handing over $5Million dollars to a Community Housing Association that has over $85million worth of property in trust who are also developers having developed properties in Ashwood/Chadstone and Bentleigh
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/st-kilda-city-gate-apartments-escape-developers-to-remain-as-homes-for-needy-20160827-gr2mki.html

Meanwhile in Cunnamulla in Qld, The Goolburri Regional Housing Company are selling its 6 properties who they rent to low income people. This company knew the financial situation of the renters when the homes were rented to them. And the government are allowing it to happen
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-19/indigenous-families-in-cunnamulla-set-to-lose-their-homes/7764630

The Victorian Government are sitting on a block of 175 units that was compulsorily purchased for the now failed east - west link have rented them out privately and are intending to sell them off. Why sell them off and not keep them in government hands when in the future this unit might need to be repurchased for another east/west link for a higher cost. There are 32,000 people on the waiting list and the government states it will purchase and build more property for low income housing.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/homeless-miss-out-as-evo-flats-acquired-because-of-east-west-link-go-on-sale-20160907-graozd.html 

I wonder why the Daniel Andrews government isn't handing this building over to Public Housing? I have attempted to contact Martin Foley on this issue and of course he is too busy giving away taxpayer funded Public Housing. Giving millions of $ of taxpayers money to Community Housing groups who don't need it. The Minister for Housing is the Guardian of our Public Housing stock. He wasn't elected to hand over properties and their titles to private groups (of which Community Housing Organisations are) he hasn't had permission to do this while there are people living in their cars or on the streets or in cheap hotels.

One waiting list for Public and Community Housing

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/one-application-for-victorians-looking-for-housing

I for one do NOT believe that this is a good idea. It is my belief that it is one step closer for the transference of titles of Public Housing homes to Community Housing groups. If Community Housing groups were paying for the properties, I would consider it. If Public Housing is and was able to afford to replace this lost stock, I would consider it. But they aren't. These homes are being handed over titles and all for free with no Public Housing homes being replaced as stock is depleted. As the properties are being transferred and none rebuilt, how is that helping the homeless, it isn't. It is giving these homes to groups who will possibly use them for their own waiting lists and not those on the Public Housing waiting list. PPHA has admitted they have $85M of property held in trust (as stated in the following article in The Age) and most of the property was purchased (not all) by the former City of St Kilda and current City of Port Phillip.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/st-kilda-city-gate-apartments-escape-developers-to-remain-as-homes-for-needy-20160827-gr2mki.html


There are also some discrepancies in this article. Port Phillip Housing is NOT Public Housing, it is Community Housing which is completely different.

Port Phillip Housing is also a developer. It won the tender to build their Ashwood property in Chadstone. They also won the tender to build in Bentleigh / Moorabin.

My reasons against Community Housing

I am a Community Housing tenant and here I am advocating against them. I have lived in one of Victoria's largest Community Housing provider for the past 17plus years. What I have been subject to, defies logic from a Community Housing provider who claims that they provide safe and happy homes to their tenants.
Over the years I have been subject to and not limited to (from the housing provider staff) :
Bullied by tenancy staff:
Lied to by the same staff:
Taken to VCAT by the said staff because I stood up to them and not allowed them to break the residential tenancy act where the tenancy worker sat there for 15 minutes arguing and lying to the member on why she had the right to break the act. After her application was turned down, this tenancy worker ran from the room:
The middle management team who came to discuss a walk in shower downstairs in the property (of which they had already installed and paid for in another similar property)  informed me that they had spoken to my Occupational Therapist in getting me an appropriate home in Public Housing even though in their words they knew that Public Housing's transition program is "Diabolical" (therefore setting me up for a notice to vacate for property being unsuitable for my needs)
Their Policies are as clear as mud. They also change their policies when and where needed.
I have been left with a debt with "thanks" to the CEO. of who would NOT approve a walk in shower upstairs unless I was willing and financial able to contribute. Mind you, the CEO has at her fingertips the household income and how much rent is paid and that it is a low income household. Talk about bullying from the top down.
You maybe wondering why I don't move out. That is simple. I have no where to move into that is in my price range. Public Housing is impossible in my area of which I need to access my Doctors, The Alfred Hospital on a regular bases and other ties that I have to the community that I have lived in for over 45 years.