This question has certainly kicked off a ferocious debate in the Herald’s online pages HERE. There’s no simple answer to this issue – and that’s just another part of the problem – but it does seem, judging by some responses, that Housing NSW may dumping problem tenants in private strata blocks, the biggest ‘too-hard basket of them all’. They are either oblivious to or just don’t care about the fact that strata requires a level of cooperation for the system to work and are happy just to have the tenants off the books, for a while, at least.
This is by no means all Housing NSW tenants. Many of them will be glad of the chance to live normal lives, away from the quicksand of poverty that pervades some of the massive ghettos of deprivation in some of our cities. Others are clearly ill-equipped to cope – or have no interest in doing so – in communities where mutual respect between neighbours is the oil that keeps the machine working. Having said that, it’s just as likely to be individual case officers rather than departmental policy. There are lazy and ignorant people in all walks of life and I’m sure Housing NSW is no exception.
I think there is another element here and that’s the issue of people with mental health problems – and they can be owners as well as tenants. Strata systems just aren’t equipped to cope with disruptive and abusive people who often don’t have much control over their own behaviour.
Housing NSW still haven’t responded to my emails. I will try again today.