Tenants’ futures feared if public housing goes private

Housing NSW may continue to lease vacant properties on the private market despite a waiting list in the tens of thousands and a federal and state government commitment to build more public housing.
Public housing tenants say they are fearing an uncertain future after the department sent out a letter saying that a foiled attempt to lease a Woolloomoolloo flat through a real estate agent may not be the last.
“So many people are frightened,” said Pamela Dunsford who lives in the same building, on Calper Wharf Road.
“They thought they were going to slip this in and nobody would notice. And they very nearly got away with it.”
A small community group rallied outside the flat as inspections went on, bearing placards reading ‘keep off’ to discourage potential tenants.
Ms Dunsford, 71, said other tenants had noticed the property being viewed for inspection since early April.
She said the flat had been left vacant since October last year.
The unit was advertised on Domain at $450 a week but originally set at $500.
The property was withdrawn from the market after Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore contacted Housing Minister David Borger’s office about the situation.
A statement from Mr Borger’s office said that leasing properties to private renters was not a practice that he approved.
“As soon as I became aware of this situation I directed the Director General of Housing NSW to immediately withdraw the advertisement and place an eligible public housing tenant into the unit in question,” it said.
“In this current economic climate, with more and more people needing housing help, it is more critical than ever that we house people on our waiting list whenever we have an opportunity to do so.”
However the statement said the department was still assessing the future of the property, which is allegedly owned by the commercial property arm of Housing NSW – a fact unknown to many residents of the building until recently.
Residents say they are suspicious of a wider push to lease vacant properties to community housing organisations, which could further complicate accountability towards tenants’ welfare.
The NSW Department of Housing announced at the beginning of April that $3 billion would go into building 9000 homes for social housing over the next three years.
It is estimated that there are more than 200,000 people on public housing waiting lists nationally.