Gardener finds resident living with 'metre-deep holes' in sad public housing discovery
Nathan Stafford, who regularly clears up unruly yards for free, first knocked on Jason's door last year. The garden on Campbell Street in Glebe, Sydney, had grown taller than the fence, but it was nothing compared to the condition of the property inside.
Nathan claims the ceiling was covered in mould, the bedroom has several "metre-deep holes" in its floor, dropping straight down to the soil underneath the home, and the building had significant structural damage. Both Jason and his neighbours told Nathan they had contacted the public housing authority about the issue, but nothing had been done.
A year later, after a recent check-in visit, Nathan said there has been absolutely no progress.
"On the roof, there's still a huge black circle of mould, like a bubble. There's cracks all through it, and it's ready to collapse," he told Yahoo. "They're fully aware of this serious structural damage for over a year, and no one has tried to fix it."
"He's stuck in that little place with no support and is just fading away... He's really struggling."
Homes NSW claim property issues weren't flagged last year
Yahoo News reached out to Homes NSW about the issues in the Glebe public housing residence, and authorities claim no "formal request" was received last year.
"The claim this issue was first raised a year ago is not correct. The first formal request for flooring repairs at this property was submitted in May this year, and work orders have been in place since that time," a Home NSW spokesperson said.
Authorities continued by saying contractors have attempted to carry out inspections and repairs, however, were unable to proceed as no access was granted while the tenant was in hospital.
"A follow-up visit is now being arranged with a contractor who is coordinating works across a plumber, electrician and carpenter. This will happen as soon as access is permitted," the spokesperson said. "We take the health and safety of our tenants seriously and are working to support the resident and address the concerns raised about the condition of the home."
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When asked to respond to the comments from Homes NSW, Nathan said he was in "disbelief" that authorities claimed they didn't know about the issues last year.
"I know they were made aware of it last year in July. It's clearly another example of them trying to pass the buck on, not doing the right thing... they just don't care," Nathan told Yahoo.
Homes NSW confirmed it is actively trying to get in touch with the tenant and address the property issues.
Calls for public housing to reinvest funds back into sector
This is the second report Yahoo News has received this month from friends of public housing residents who have endured poor living conditions. The first involved a resident in Coogee, where a 73-year-old man was living with black mould that covered the walls, ceiling and floor of his home.
Housing advocates are urging authorities to reinvest funds back into the sector so the standard of living can be improved for vulnerable members of society needing accommodation support.
"We used to have a system where public housing rents could only be spent by the government on repairing public housing and maintaining public housing... now it's not being reinvested and it should," Jordan van den Berg, tenant and housing advocate, told Yahoo News previously.
"We need to fight for public housing that is good quality, accessible to anyone who wants to live in it, and not just the most desperate people in our society."
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