Minister invited to tour hotspot
RESIDENTS living in “Beacy Bronx” (Herald, November 30, 2013) want WA housing minister Bill Marmion to come down to their “forgotten streets” to see first-hand the mess his officials won’t touch.
The Herald reported last week that Homeswest tenants living in O’Reilly Close and Edgar Court were under siege from thugs who damage property and attack them.
This week a number of locals hit back, claiming the anti-social behaviour is Homeswest’s fault because the department has lumped all their “problems” into one area.
One woman says you won’t find a bigger concentration of state housing clumped together in such a small space. She says the streets are so out-of-control with crime and the homes so run-down it is about time to bulldoze them and start again.
“There are something like 326 houses from South Street to Lefroy Road,” she told the Herald.
“There are not one in five Homeswest houses here, or one in nine Homeswest homes here, there are continual Homeswest homes.
“With the new legislation in parliament it had to be one in nine or one in 11. We need the right government to put that in place here and I feel a number of the homes have to be privatised to lift up the area.
“Some residents who have lived here 20 years are happy to stay, so I say privatise a bit and leave the rest that are happy: “But we want the minister to come down—we want anyone to come down.”
The young mum says people are “dumped” into their area waiting to be transferred.
“My concern is people are waiting a long time to get transferred or are getting ignored, and getting denied transfers.”
The anger was palpable amongst the 15 gathered on O’Reilly Close when the issue of maintenance was raised.
“We are living with mice, cockroaches and termites!” one elderly woman barked. “I waited six months just to get a screw changed on my door!” another yelled.
“I have huge cracks in my wall. They don’t want to do nothing and that’s nasty.”
All said they feared leaving their homes at night: “I’m afraid to walk out of my house at night,” one said. “It’s the fear of the unknown.
“There is a lot of fear and intimidation and that’s why a lot of people don’t report anti-social behaviour. I don’t like to report for my kids’ safety and my own safety.”
by BRENDAN FOSTER