Feral gang of youths terrorises Gagebrook neighbourhood

A mother says she fears for her safety due to the gang of feral youths who terrorise the empty, boarded up house across the road in her neighbourhood.

A Gagebrook mother says she fears for her safety due to the gang of feral youths who terrorise the empty, boarded up house in her neighbourhood.

Daphne Meerding lives near a former social housing property which was sold to a private buyer this year for over $400,000.

Since the previous tenants were evicted, Ms Meerding said the house has sat empty for months and attracted delinquent youths who use it as a hangout.

There’s no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the new owner.

Daphne Meerding, who lives near a troublesome house. Picture: Linda Higginson

“There’s violence, anti-social behaviour, arson, break-ins, thefts, people stealing and burning cars up the road, and it’s happening on a daily basis,” Ms Meerding said.

“I’ve asked to move because I feel frightened living here, I don’t feel safe at all, not with what I’ve witnessed with the behaviour of the children and teenagers.”

However when she asked CentaCare Evolve Housing for a relocation, she was told there was a three-year waiting list due to a shortage of Tasmanian social housing.

As somebody with disabilities, Ms Meerding said she would have no way to defend herself if she became the target of violence.

Ms Meerding said just the other day some youths attacked a security guard which had been stationed outside the empty house to prevent the smashed windows and vandalism.

She says she is also kept awake at night by the incessant hoons who tear up and down the street, despite being visibly too young to hold a licence.

Social housing advocate Kate Kelly said Ms Meerding’s story was a tragic reflection of Tasmania’s housing crisis.

Ms Kelly said there were countless others who lived in precarious situations due to Tasmania’s chronic shortage of social housing and the shocking cost of private housing.

The troublesome house at Gagebrook. Picture: Linda Higginson

She said this was the result of a systemic failure from all levels of government to care for society’s most vulnerable.

“This is part of a perfect storm that we find ourselves in: the failure to provide enough social housing, the inflated and completely out-of-control property market, the people who are stuck in the middle of it with nowhere to go,” Ms Kelly said.

“I would like to see this woman housed in a safe place and I would like to see responsibility taken by the organisation who sold the house.”

The empty house was also owned by CentaCare Evolve Housing.

CEO Ben Wilson said the company was building more social housing in the Gagebrook and Bridgewater area for those in need.

“CentaCare Evolve Housing has sold a former rental property in [Gagebrook] to a new owner / occupier,” Mr Wilson said.

“We will use the proceeds from the sale to build new properties in the Bridgewater / Gagebrook area to house people who are homeless.”

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