Dirty Work at the Crossroads: Public Housing Tenants and the Family Home

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Today’s Guest Post is by the redoubtable Leone. Yes, you have already read it, but I thought it would make an excellent thread-starter on a very important topic. So, Leone, please forgive me, and thank you for your wonderful work.

I knew it –

On December 17 last year I had a visit – by appointment – with a young woman from NSW Housing, to talk about the Baird government’s plans to force public housing tenants out of their family homes when those homes became, allegedly, too big after the kids had all moved out.

I was informed of my options – apply for a transfer, be offered two new residences and either accept one of them or stay where I am and pay $20 a week extra for the privilege. They say it’s because families are waiting for homes. I say it’s revenue raising. The public housing shortage here is mainly in one or two bedroom ‘pensioner’ accommodation, which is what they want me to take. According to their website the waiting list for such accommodation here is at least five years.

Anyway, I was given a stack of forms to fill in and assured by this very polite young woman that she would be back the next week for my final decision. I am just one of many local tenants facing this problem, not all of them oldies. .

I heard no more from her. I suspected that the whole thing had been quietly put aside until after the NSW election. You can’t have a mob of angry tenants protesting in the street about being forced out of their homes. Not a good look at all.

I was right.

Today a letter arrived from the same woman. She didn’t bother asking me what I had decided, she didn’t bother coming back for the paperwork, she has just told me I will be offered two places and I can expect to be rehomed in less than twelve months. If I refuse both offers – which I will do – they will begin eviction proceedings. This was a threat to make me comply. The department’s policy is still to simply charge extra rent, not to evict.

My needs – which she has acknowledged in writing – complicate things. I need ground floor, level access, with a yard (for the cats) and assorted bathroom modifications. Such a place does not exist here. Good luck finding something suitable that does not exist within twelve months.

Bring it on, I say. I can’t wait for the headlines – ‘Seventy year old disabled grandmother forced out of her home’………..

(Image Credit: Tanzania Pure Discovery)

625 thoughts on “Dirty Work at the Crossroads: Public Housing Tenants and the Family Home”

  3. Lib Dems narrowly hold Carshalton and Wallington.

    It seems to be the Lib Dem v. Conservative seats that the LDP is holding on with, but their Labour challenged seats are falling rapidly.

  8. CTar1

    A couple of reminders in the Berlin film that there was a time Ivan, Tommy and GI Joe were maaates,

  9. Uxbridge and South Ruislip: Boris Johnson holds the seat for the Tories

  10. Well there’s Scottish Labour’s first victory, holding out in Edinburgh South with a 5.3% majority to the SNP.

    Although that seat’s a bit more complicated than it seems, it’s been a narrow Labour v. Lib Dem seat for the past few election.

  13. Twickenham: CON gain from LIB DEM
    Sutton and Cheam: CON gain from LIB DEM

  14. Ya reckon Tunbridge Wells is chocka block with Tory bustards ?

    Tunbridge Wells

    Con hold with a 44.5% majority, 70% turnout

  23. So far swing of 2% of Conservative to Labour in England according to the BBC.

    Also the tories have held on to Dumfriesshire Clydesdale and Tweedale.

  25. Now that Boris Johnson is in Westminster, should be interesting to see what his next move will be. Cameron might be able to hold him off in a leadership spill if the Cons win a majority.

  30. Norwich South: LAB gain from Lib Dem
    Dumfries and Galloway: SNP gain from LAB

  32. Ed Miliband’s held onto his seat and Labour’s gained Manchester Withington from the Lib Dems.

  37. Yeah, no, I can’t see Labour winning from here. The Tories are gaining too many seats.

    Well, if this is the case, there’ll be nothing anyone can do until 2020, and by then the Conservatives should have their nihilistic Thatcherite utopia for the rich they’ve planned on. Sure it’ll be hell for everyone else but what do they care for the peasants?

  38. I think it’ll turn out that Labour just couldn’t shake off the Labour-SNP coalition of doom scare campaign that the tories embarked on.

  40. Thornbury and Yate: CON gain from LIB DEM
    Wolverhampton South West: LAB gain from CON

  41. I wonder if it’ll turn out like 1992, the tories got in and the public regretted it six months later

    Also Sinn Fein have lost Fermanagh and south tyrone to the Ulster Unionists (they only won by four votes in 2010)

  42. Colchester: CON gain from Lib dem

    Also UKIP came second in ed miliband’s constituency.

  43. According to this, the public regretted the Tories winning in 2010 6 months later

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2015_United_Kingdom_general_election#Graphical_summary

    But they soon got over it. That’s probably the plan this time around, smash the plebs in the first few years and act all cuddly again in the last part of the term. Nobody will remember, they’ll be too busy being turned stupid by Murdoch’s shithouse media smorgasbord.

  44. There is so much “stupid” coming out of the LNP. functionaries, Clarke and Dawe will be forced to record skits 24/7. to keep up!

  45. Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey: SNP gain from Lib Dem
    Cornwall: CON gain from Lib Dem

  49. probable result, tory minority with DUP backing, although they’ll have an on floor majority as Sinn Fein don’t take their seats

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