‘Vulnerable’ people forced to live next to drug traffickers at St Kilda public housing estates
Residents at public housing estates in St Kilda say complaints regarding their safety are falling on deaf ears, claiming drugs and violence are a regular problem. Now, the community is demanding answers.
Inner South
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Drug dealing and violence are rife at St Kilda’s public and social housing estates, and the community is demanding answers.
St Kilda’s David Van, who is a member of the Friends of St Kilda Hill group which campaigns on neighbourhood issues, said work was desperately needed to lift the living standards at properties in Carlisle St, Balluk Willam Court and Tennyson St.
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Complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services and HousingFirst, who manage the properties, had fallen on deaf ears, he said, resulting in trouble makers running rife without fear of reprisal.
A number of estate residents approached him to express safety concerns, he said, and some felt they couldn’t speak out publicly for fear of being targeted by neighbours or evicted by housing management.
“This sort of housing is dotted throughout St Kilda and it’s just not being run well enough,” he said.
“You’ll read a lot of commentary in St Kilda about the homeless, but what we’re finding is a lot of the problems are coming out of public housing.
“Drug dealers are walking in (to the estates) day in day out. The people in there are just sitting ducks for people preying on them.
“There’s a lot of ice going into these places and that fuels a lot of violence.”
Off the Rails cafe owner Katherine Williams said junkies were a common problem in the area and drove away customers.
She said she believed some tenants were dealing drugs at the housing estates and she feared for the safety of the older more vulnerable tenants.
“It’s a constant influx of drug affected people and drug dealing,” she said.
Victorian Public Tenants Association executive officer Mark Feenane said public housing had been neglected for decades and the state was in desperate need of more properties to meet demand.
“So many of the properties are now well passed their use by date and have serious problems with ventilation, mould, and lack of space,” he said.
“These are some of our community’s most vulnerable members, many of whom are elderly or on a disability support pension. They shouldn’t have to live like this.”
Minister for Planning Richard Wynne said issues related to anti-social behaviour arose at public housing from time to time, but tenants at the properties had “the same obligations as anyone else” to behave in a neighbourly manner.
HousingFirst chief executive Haleh Homaei said all safety concerns raised at their estates were taken seriously and regular site inspections were conducted.
Housing officers would not threaten a tenant with eviction for raising concerns, she said, but a resident could be evicted if they were found to be in breach of their rental agreement by acting in an intimidating manner towards their neighbours.
“As a registered housing provider, we are not charged with the powers to provide our residents with specialist support services,” she said.
“We would actively welcome any increase in the provision of appropriate support services … (and) we would encourage media and concerned residents and neighbours to continue to lobby the relevant government and other authorities.”
She also said there were currently no formal complaints about disruptive tenants at HousingFirst properties in Tennyson St or Balluk Willam Court.
St Kilda Acting Sergeant Jason Hymans said the police worked closely with the community and housing providers to keep the area safe.
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