IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST...

COMMUNITY ( SOCIAL ) HOUSING WANT TO BE GIVEN THE TITLES OF 12,000 PUBLIC HOUSING PROPERTIES

                                               TELL 'EM THEY'RE DREAMING !!!

WHY IS HOMELESSNESS ESCALATING ?? The main reason is that PUBLIC HOUSING is being PRIVATISED by stealth - both major political parties are doing this - and successive state governments are refusing to build more housing to address the urgent need.

Public Housing stands at a ridiculous and tragic 3% of all housing in Victoria- ( Shaw ) and even that is not safe from developer greed and private empire-building ambition!

( Interestingly when the Liberals were in power in Victoria, they were less coy about using the word 'privatisation' whereas the Andrews Labor government wants to avoid the word at all costs! )

As you can see from this Budget Submission, Community Housing ( also known as 'Social Housing' ) want the titles of 12,000 publicly owned properties, as well as public land to be handed over to them. They also want millions of dollars in start-up funds, and continuous access to public money in the form of Commonwealth Rent Assistance. CRA is not needed by public tenants whatsoever- because public housing, being outside market forces, is the only truly affordable housing available for those on low incomes, and on pensions.

Their active role in Labor's "Public Housing Renewal Program" as outlined in this budget submission makes it highly unlikely that public tenants will be returning to PUBLIC HOUSING - owned and managed by the government - as many public tenants have been assured they will be...

The fact is that under the  Residential Tenancy Act, Community ( Social ) Housing landlords are identical to private landlords.

The major players, the ones most likely to win lucrative government tenders, are the Housing Associations which are also property developers... ( so don't be fooled by the cosy, folksy term Community and Social Housing ) 

So many organisations and individuals have been co-opted and this has been cleverly orchestrated for years. It surprises me that many well- meaning people who talk sympathetically about homelessness, think it is somehow ok to continue to obscure the role of Community Housing in the privatisation of Public Housing. Often they have career aspirations in the burgeoning Community Housing sector, and therefore there is a conflict of interest involved.

Friends of Public Housing Victoria will continue to try and get the truth out in the public domain.

The public have a right to know what is going on. There is no excuse for lack of transparency and ongoing secrecy.

After all Public Housing is a public asset. Once its gone, it's gone forever.

Friends of Public Housing Victoria's position is that if we continue to go down this path of privatisation, the tragedy of homelessness will continue to worsen...

There are many wonderful enclaves of public housing in the inner city. These public housing flats in Nth Melbourne are going to be bulldozed, the residents uprooted and displaced, and the public land sold off to developers. The peak body for Community Housing says in their submission that many of the inner city walk-up flats targeted for 'renewal' by the Andrews government, are in need of 'total replacement'. We don't agree. Most of these homes are perfectly habitable and in good condition. Those that need renovation should be renovated, but they should remain public assets. Noone St Public Housing Estate in Clifton Hill, also slated for demolition, was extensively renovated ten years ago and is in very good condition.

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Thank-you for the growing interest in this blog. Help us to Save Public Housing! 

Contact - 

Friends of Public Housing Vic  https://www.facebook.com/FOPHVIC/

Fair Go For Pensioners ( Hands Off Public Housing ) https://www.facebook.com/Fair-Go-for-Pensioners-FGFP-Coalition-Victoria-Incorporated-240292362816033/ 

Public Housing Defense Network     https://www.facebook.com/publichousingdefencenetwork/

Defend and Extend Public Housing. https://www.facebook.com/DefendAndExtendPublicHousing/

Kate Borland Save Public Housing   https://www.facebook.com/groups/kateborlandformelbourne/402339973216198/

and local groups are springing up

https://www.facebook.com/groups/242781149582121/  Protect Abbotsford Street ( Nth Melbourne )

https://www.facebook.com/NorthBrightonResidentsAction/  Nth Brighton Residents Action Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/186430805370707/about/   Darebin Community Friends of Public Housing

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To find out more about this Budget Submission

https://chiavic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/2016-2017-Budget-Submission-CHFV-12-11-15-Final.pdf

STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF PUBLIC HOUSING COMMUNITIES

                     This short clip takes only a few seconds and is so cute.
       "Hello" from a little fellow who lives with his family in public housing.

Contrary to the constant stigmatising by the media, some of the nicest people I've met in my life have been public tenants. Friendly, hospitable, cheerful, down-to-earth, without pretensions.'What you see is what you get' with public tenants. Decent, genuine people. Some real characters live in Public Housing. And a whole range of cultures is represented. 

Living here on my little public housing estate is like living in a small cohesive global village. All summed up in one word- COMMUNITY.

Labor has said it will create new communities after the redevelopments ( mostly privatised ). What is that supposed to mean? They are covertly destroying rich multilayered communities where members have established long-term relationships with one another ( Removalist vans can be seen clearing the estates of public tenants under the guise of Labor's Public Housing Renewal Program ) - to be replaced by so-called new communities in the future. "Instant communities - just add water." No, communities don't work like that.

There is a lot of love to be found in Public Housing, as public tenant activist Clare Hansen addresses in her speech below. The academics call it 'social capital'.

SHAME on Labor for its shabby and despicable treatment of public tenants, and its dismantling of public housing. Once gone we can never get these assets back. The land will be sold off and the public housing handed over to Social / Community Housing.

Please read the following speech by Clare which was delivered in front of the Department's Housing Office office on the Ascot Vale Public Housing estate. Clare is a public tenant living on the Ascot Vale estate, and a member of the tenant-based group called S.A.V.E. ( Save Ascot Vale Estate )

                                            ---------------------------------------

 “Hello everybody my name is Clare. Some of you know me and some of you don’t. I hope that during this movement we will get to know each other because togetherness is the power we need.

I have been here for over 8 years. It’s the longest I’ve lived anywhere and I hope to be here for many, many more years, and that is the very reason we are here today.

Everyone is 3 steps from homelessness. Unemployment, family break down, or a poor decision can all lead to homelessness. Nobody believes it can happen to them but it can and does. I was very lucky. I was thrown a lifeline. We were all thrown a lifeline. I never forget it, and we must all remember the lifeline we were thrown. That life line is our homes here. They are not simply flats. They are our homes.

I’ll admit to being nervous when I first moved here. Like untold thousands of Australians, I too was a victim of misinformation about public housing estates. The press, the government and the big end of town, indeed people who have never been here, would have it that public estates are riddled with crime, daily violence, drug dealers, drug addicts, alcoholics and constant serious trouble.The people who believe this have never been here. This misconception and misinformation is endemic. It is also completely untrue. I have lived in some pretty fancy suburbs so I feel well qualified to make a comparison and dispel the myths about public estates. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. I feel safer here than anywhere else I’ve lived. When I lived in private housing, I never met my neighbours- never knew their names. Here I know so many people. We all do. We look after each other. We care for each other. The sense of community here is overwhelming.

The Andrews state government want this land. They want to sell it to private investors. They want to build tall towers and pack as many private tenants in as they can. Right now they are being rather quiet about Ascot Vale because there is an election coming up in November. Don’t be fooled. This electorate is in Labor heartland. But we have a voice. Consider your vote very carefully. We will raise our voices and we will be heard.

The "Social Housing" the government keeps talking about is not Public Housing! I have tried and tried and tried to get certain politicians and political representatives to say the word “Public”. So far, I have had no success. So be assured, if this estate is demolished it will be 90% or more private. We will all be moved to who knows where, and we probably won’t be coming back. Our wonderful community will be torn apart. Despite words to the contrary, we’ve been given no real assurance that we will be coming back. we will probably never see each other again.

 I have a list of demands for the Moonee Valley Council and the State Government.

1. The state government - the Andrews government - should immediately rescind its plans to privatise public housing in Victoria.

 2. Instead, public housing stock should be significantly expanded to meet demand for public housing - the public housing waiting list is 37,000 long and growing.

 3. Existing public housing should be properly maintained and redeveloped only where necessary and in a way that is least disruptive to the lives of tenants. Any redevelopment of public housing that does occur should happen in close consultation with public housing tenants and local residents, and should not involve any privatisation. The needs of tenants and local residents should come before the interests of profit making.

 4. The Moonee Valley council has so far supported the governments privatisation plans. Councillor Nicole Marshall has justified the redevelopment by painting the estate as a violent place that locals are ‘scared to walk through’. Rather than demonise public housing tenants, the Moonee Valley council should pass a motion opposing the privatisation of public housing and supporting redevelopment only where it is necessary and only when 100% public housing will be built in its place.

5. The Victorian Public Tenants Association or VPTA - an organisation that is supposed to defend the interests of public tenants - has also supported the government's plans. The VPTA should release a public statement denouncing government plans and demanding the expansion of public housing to service the 37,000 long public housing waiting list.”

WELL SAID CLARE HANSEN.

PERSONAL TESTIMONIALS - RICHARD

Here is Richard's letter to the Upper House Parliamentarians.

Unfortunately, this direct action was not successful. If the Liberals had not teamed up with the ALP, but had voted with the Greens to block it, then the whole Public Housing Renewal Program would have been dead in the water... The wholesale sell-off of public land to private developers would have been halted, and we could have pressured the government to do a whole lot better for public housing and for people in need.

Why not visit your local public housing estate that's due for demolition, gentrification, privatisation and mass displacement of the tenants, get to know your public tenant neighbours, hear their stories, and show your support  : ) 

My name is Richard Lasek. I’m a retired civil engineer and moved to Melbourne about a year ago to be closer to my two daughters. I had been visiting them for many years prior to my relocation and was always struck during my visits by the unique character of Melbourne and the people who live there. In my limited travels I don’t think I’ve come across a more civil society. There are exceptions to this generalisation but the things that struck me as unique, is the way Melburnians talk to each other on public transport; the willingness of drivers to share the road with others and the generally courteous and helpful nature of people on the street.  

One exception to this general impression, is the way public housing tenants are being treated by the State Labor government. I met a representative from Friends of Public Housing who invited me to a meeting of the tenants at Gronn Place housing estate in West Brunswick. I was unprepared for the stories that I heard firsthand from vulnerable residents who were elderly, disabled, had limited language skills, were suffering severe health issues and came from a variety of cultural backgrounds. These stories shocked and disturbed me.

Tenants were being visited unannounced by Department of Housing representatives who made promises of extensive renovations which would require them to relocate while the improvements were carried out. Why would tenants be told this, when it is known that Gronn Place is scheduled for demolition? Some tenants had sought an agreement in writing that they would be able to return to their homes after the works had been completed but no such documents had ever been received. Most tenants didn’t want to be relocated; they were happy with their units and refused the offer of renovations. Those people were then led to believe, through veiled threats, that if they kept refusing the offers of alternative places for relocation, they would lose their eligibility for public housing and maybe end up being homeless. Some of the tenants became very sick after a long period of worrying about their potential eviction.

After that meeting I decided to join Friends of Public Housing, and in order to become better informed on the issues involved, I closely read all the submissions to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Public Housing Renewal Program. The attached document is a summary of the comments made in those submissions.

I understand that there is to be a vote next week in the Upper House. The Greens want to disallow Labor’s legislation aimed at removing Councils’ planning powers regarding the Public Housing Renewal Program.

I support this, and would urge you to vote for the restoration of proper planning powers to local Councils, so that communities can continue to have a strong voice regarding future developments in their neighbourhoods.

Regards,
Richard Lasek

( I will include Richard's attached summary in a later post )

LABOR'S PUBLIC HOUSING RENEWAL A TRAVESTY

Excellent editorial by Alex Lavelle - Editor of The Age, who describes Victorian Labor’s Public Housing Renewal Program as a “travesty” - “so fundamentally flawed it should either be restructured or abandoned.”

In case you missed it - Two weeks ago, ( June 9 ) the following editorial featured in The Age newspaper. I have copied and pasted it below.

But firstly, many thanks to those of you who contacted the Upper House of Parliament, urging them to vote to revoke Labor’s legislation to remove planning powers from Councils, in relation to Labor’s dreadful Public Housing Renewal Program. 

In Nov 2017, the Liberals voted with the Greens to block Labor in the case of Ashburton, which lies in a Liberal electorate. But this time they chose to align themselves with Labor, concerning the fate of 9 other inner-city public housing estates. 

'Coalition and Greens combine to dump public housing project, others now in doubt' https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/coalition-and-greens-combine-to-dump-public-housing-project-others-now-in-doubt-20171117-gznf9q.html

One wonders how the Liberals would explain their rationale for this decision, when the arguments in favour of blocking Labor's plans in Ashburton are the very same arguments that apply to the other estates as well- inappropriate height /density private development, permanent loss of invaluable public land, the need for reinstatement of proper Council planning powers, genuine community consultation, redressing the pathetic tokenistic public housing outcomes for those in desperate need of housing.

We are very disappointed, but somehow not surprised...

Never mind, we will keep on keeping on, fighting for Public Housing, and exposing the secretive privatisation agenda at work behind the scenes, which both major parties support.

In the following article by Clay Lucas and Benjamin Priess, 'Victorian Developers Profit from Prime Land as Thousands Wait For Public Housing.' we discover just how many people are, in fact, waiting for Public Housing. It's a shocking statistic.

The number of applications was for a long time quoted at 35,000, then recently updated by the Chair of the Upper House Inquiry to 37,000.

We now know that these 37,000 applications actually consist of 57,877 adults and 24,622 children !!

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/developers-profit-from-prime-land-as-thousands-wait-for-public-housing-20180605-p4zjn8.html  

Surely the needs of over 24.5 thousand children for secure housing, should be a top priority of all political parties on every side of politics !?

But NO- it is far more important that wealthy, powerful and influential property developers get the go-ahead to reap obscene mega-profits from the destruction and sale of publicly owned assets -public housing and public land.

All they have to deliver is a token increase in the number of 'social housing' units. Given that the new flats will be either 1 or 2 bedrooms, the result can actually be a decrease in capacity to house those on low incomes.

With the planned massive reduction in 3 bedroom sized family units, there's no room in the inner-city for children and families in Labor’s plans. ( On the Walker St estate in Northcote, for example, 56 x 3-bedroom properties will be demolished and replaced with only 5 new 3 bedroom properties. All the rest will be 1 or 2 bedroom units. )

Dr Kate Shaw, a public housing expert and urban geographer, has called the Public Housing Renewal Program ‘deeply flawed’.

‘Pretty much everything about the program in its current approach is wrong,’ she says. ‘The department really should go back and reconsider every aspect of it.’ She says the 10% increase in social housing on the sites required of the private developers is ‘disgraceful’ and ‘grossly inadequate’ to address Victoria’s huge public housing waiting list.

But of course, this is not really about improving public housing at all - it's about outsourcing and privatising it.

Friends of Public Housing avoids the term ‘social housing’ as it is an umbrella term which is confusingly applied to both public housing and so-called ‘community housing’ - even though they are very different housing models. For example- under tenancy laws ‘community housing’ landlords are the same as private landlords.

Labor is trying to hide what they are doing with smoke and mirrors.. and euphemisms.

But thanks to a spate of recent newspaper articles, the truth is coming out.

I have cut and pasted the editorial I spoke of at the beginning of this blogpost. It ends with a very good quote that encapsulates what is quickly disappearing in Australia, due to the aggressive and insidious nature of global neoliberalist policies, and their corrosive influence on society.

I am speaking of the traditional Aussie values of fairness and a fair go for all. Who wants to live in an ugly dog-eat-dog society which is becoming more fractured, more callous, and increasingly symptomatic of social dis-ease.

The quote by the editor bears repeating

“We should never forget that most of us is but a few bad decisions or some mongrel misfortune away from crisis or catastrophe. Proper public housing is a crucial response to that universal truth.” Alex Lavelle.

I knew a public tenant- passed on now- who had a car accident and suffered brain damage. He was highly trained. I believe he was even eminent in his field. Just imagine for a moment…. Immediately the ability to work is lost. Mortgage repayments falter because there is no income anymore. Family can offer financial support, but not indefinitely. Suddenly one finds oneself in very serious trouble indeed. Thankfully this charming man was able to access public housing, where he lived peacefully for some years before his death.

The fact is, anyone can need public housing at any time.

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Here is the Complete Editorial by Alex Lavelle

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/fix-social-housing-policy-travesty-20180609-p4zkk4.html

A key new Victorian government social housing policy is so fundamentally flawed it should either be restructured or abandoned.

The government is selling nine prime publicly owned sites to private developers, under opaque financial arrangements, on the condition that housing developments contain at least 10 per cent more public housing residences than are demolished. The move follows three unconvincing trials; developers made huge profits. Segregation occurred to the point of gated gardens prohibited to the social housing residents.

The scheme fails to meet tenets of public policy. It lacks transparency. Although the government calls for tenders, details are concealed from the public, preventing independent cost/benefit analysis of the process and the outcome.

It is a false economy. The government gets to spends less in the short-term (which should not be a pressing priority, given the relative robustness of the economy and budget), but is diminishing long-term public wealth by selling off increasingly valuable public land. Further, the requirement of an increase in the number of social housing residences of only 10 per cent seems unduly low. The new scheme, though, leaves open the unintended consequence of actually reducing the number of public housing places by replacing family dwellings with far smaller apartments.

The new scheme makes even less economic sense considering the government could finance what should really be happening – the repair, renovation and/or redevelopment of the social housing estates – at historically low interest rates and not needlessly and without accountability disposing, during their temporary power, of permanent public assets.

Any profit from the remaining, private homes – which will account for about two-thirds of the total dwellings – will primarily go to the developers, although there is provision for a chunk of any exceptional profits to be passed to the government, which will also be maintaining its overall policy of adding to public housing by replacing and upgrading estates built from the 1940s on. The need is pressing; winter is upon us and homelessness is widespread. The conventional understanding is that Victoria’s public housing waiting list is 35,000 – but that is the number of applications, not people. There are nearly 58,000 adults and 25,000 children in need of secure housing in our state. Far from all of them are sleeping rough, but practically all of them are technically homeless and in need of some support. About 1700 more social housing homes are needed each year over the next 20 years to maintain social housing at its current 3.5 per cent share of the total homes in Victoria.

Other states and nations have created public-private projects that are accountable, share the financial benefits and significantly increase social housing. The Andrews government can readily fix the errors.

We should never forget that most of us is but a few bad decisions or some mongrel misfortune away from crisis or catastrophe. Proper public housing is a crucial response to that universal truth.

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A COMMUNITY MOURNS

   10,000 people attend the vigil at Princes Park, Nth Carlton

Friends and neighbours living in the same Public Housing community, who have known the Dixon family for years, are shocked, saddened and outraged by the rape and murder of Eurydice ( Ridi ) Dixon.

Many of us attended last night’s vigil in Princes Park which brought together around 10,000 people.

When I think of Eurydice, Iike so many others on social media, I feel depressed and to cope with these feelings- I sometimes visit my close friends next door. They are more than friends really, they are my family. The children cuddling up to me on the sofa, their chatter, and the baby's immediate need for attention - it all helps to keep me grounded and in the present, so I don’t feel ‘sunk’ by my emotions.

Ridi was a vibrant young woman with her whole life ahead of her…

My neighbours are originally from Ethiopia, and the Ethiopian culture is all about togetherness, sharing and having time for one another. They celebrate together and they grieve together - something I think we have largely lost in Western culture, where everyone is expected to 'soldier on' alone, to function, and deny even unbearable pain.

I'm relieved to know that Eurydice's father Jeremy is not alone at this time; he has left his flat to stay with his immediate family during this time of mourning.

Jeremy is grateful and appreciative of all the positive heartfelt support from the community, but the family is not engaging publicly at this time.

As has been said in newspaper articles, Jeremy Dixon is a ‘very good man’ and a devoted father. He is a dear friend of mine, highly intelligent, committed to social justice - a very sensitive and caring man.

His daughter Eurydice was a delightful, bright, vibrant and clever girl.

Our love and thoughts are with Ridi’s siblings and all the Dixon family at this time.

BE A CONCERNED CITIZEN - PICK UP THE PHONE NOW !!

VICTORIAN LABOR HAS ABUSED ITS POWERS - AND HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP STOP IT.  

Join in a Public Appeal to the Upper House of Parliament - Time is of the Essence. 
They are going to debate it on June 6.

Dear Supporter of Public Housing,

In March this year, Labor passed legislation to remove the planning powers from Metropolitan Councils to ensure they do not interfere with Labor's plans for the demolition and  privatisation of eleven inner-city public housing estates- aka Labor's 'Public Housing Renewal Program'.

This is unconscionable and undemocratic.

The Councils affected are those that have jurisdiction over the the targeted inner-city Public Housing estates.

In this way Labor can rubber-stamp any and all private property developments, sell-off our public land unopposed, overrule Council height restrictions, deny community consultation regarding a better deal for Public Housing in the face of 37,000 applications on the Public Housing Waiting List.

Labor's token increase of 10% more 'SOCIAL HOUSING' does not even guarantee true PUBLIC HOUSING - but can be owned / managed by private operators.

The projected outcome for the Public Housing Renewal Program will result in only 79 new additional 'social housing' units built for those in desperate need, while 2,040 private apartments will be built on what is now public land. Furthermore, 3-bedroom public housing dwellings suitable for families, will be knocked down and replaced with 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, so that the end result could be an actual decrease in capacity to house those in need!

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/vulnerable-public-housing-tenants-in-limbo-as-redevelopments-proceed-20180401-p4z7br.html

 Labor's plans are indefensible.
The 'Public Housing Renewal Program' will do nothing for the 37,000 people on the public housing waiting list or those who are homeless in this great country of ours. Pity the homeless people without shelter in the cold and the rain.

We need to demand from governments that they do better. A whole lot better.

So what can be done?

The Greens have acted to block this piece of legislation -to ensure a return of proper planning powers to local councils and local communities. 

But - to achieve this, they need the support of other members of the Upper House of Parliament, including the Liberals and other smaller parties.

https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaRatnamGreens/videos/1083419908462886/

Please take a moment right now to ring the following parliamentarians.
Or ring them back during business hours.

SAY THAT YOU SUPPORT THE GREENS' MOTION TO RESTORE PROPER PLANNING RIGHTS TO COUNCILS - AND URGE THEM TO VOTE IN LINE WITH THE GREENS ON THIS MATTER. 

The first three names are very important. If the Liberals come onboard, then basically the whole flawed Public Housing Renewal Program will be back on the drawing board and we can hammer out a far better deal for people in desperate need of housing and the homeless. So please do your bit- it really is that important.

David Davis                  98276655         david.davis@parliament.vic.gov.au
Mary Wooldridge        9878 4113        mary.wooldridge@parliament.vic.gov.au
Gordon Rich-Phillips  9794 7667        gordon.rich-phillips@parliament.vic.gov.au


Georgie Crozier              9555 4101      Shadow Minister for Housing

Margaret Fitzherbert      9681 9555     Chair of the Upper House Inquiry

Rachel Carling-Jenkins  8742 3226    Australian Conservative Party

Fiona Patten                   93864400      Reason Party

James Purcel                  55682929      Independent


You can also email them. Simply write their name in lowercase with a dot between first and second names and add the following address-  @parliament.vic.gov.au

Quote by John Kavanagh- Mayor of Moreland,

"Like every caring Victorian, I'm deeply concerned about the sell-off of public land and deeply concerned about the so-called 'Renewal Program'. This is a SHAM- this is a CON-and needs to be called out for what it is"

Sources
The updated Public Housing Waiting List is now 37,000 applications ( the actual number of people in need of housing would of course be far greater.  http://www.margaretfitzherbert.com.au/speeches/member-statement-markham-estate-ashburton/