Monday 12 September 2016

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.

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