Zoe Moffatt
Hume council is calling on the state government to attend a meeting to discuss local social housing, which council says is in a concerning condition.
Councillor Joseph Haweil raised a notice of motion at a meeting on April 15, asking council to express its concern about the housing condition, to call for clear and timely responses for unsightly and dilapidated properties and for a proactive inspection and maintenance program.
With 1561 social housing dwellings in Hume in 2021, Cr Haweil said the sad reality was many of these dwellings fall into significant state of disrepair.
“That disrepair often involves long grass and excessive vegetation, litter and dumped items, and a significant amount of rubbish,” he said
“In the more egregious situations there are some of these properties that present real health and safety hazards, such as fire risks, odorant nuance, vermin and unstable structures.
“I’ve been moved to bring this motion … to call upon the Victorian government to do what it really should be doing in terms of proper upkeep and maintenance of these properties.”
Cr Haweil said there are at least 20 to 30 referrals each year that Hume council officers make to the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing local housing office for attention and response when it comes to these matters.
“The sad experience of our offices has been that in large part, most of these requests go ignored,” he said.
“Sadly, complaint escalation and management pathways for unsightly and dilapidated homes are basically not responded to by the department.”
Cr Karen Sherry amended the motion to request Department of Families, Fairness and Housing attendance at a future strategy and policy meeting to discuss social housing, asset management and maintenance.
It was also included that council write to local social housing chief executives, notifying them about councils letter to the state government and to request information about their approach to maintenance and asset management.
A spokesperson from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing said the department regularly follows up with contractors on all outstanding maintenance works within Hume.
“Every renter in public housing has the right to live in safe and secure housing. Any urgent repairs are assessed and remedied as soon as possible,” they said.
