Latest news with #socialhousing
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Australian woman could be kicked out of her housing comission home over alarming issue
A woman living in a three-bedroom social housing home is facing eviction after she was unable to keep up with the property maintenance. Michelle, in her 60s, has lived in the housing commission home for 13 years but has increasingly struggled to keep her garden and home clean. Nathan Stafford, who's gained a massive following for tidying the homes of those in need for free, shared a video earlier this month after Michelle reached out for help. 'I've been told that if this is not cleaned up - and there's a few rooms inside that need a bit of a help - that you're gonna be evicted,' Mr Stafford asked Michelle. The tenant nodded and added she'd taken the eviction threat to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. 'The tribunal has made orders that if I've not commenced action on the house by the first of August, they're coming between 11th and 12th, I will be evicted,' she said. 'I will be homeless. I don't have any family, I don't have any friends.' Mr Stafford assured the woman she didn't 'need to feel ashamed or anything like that' and showed viewers the home in a separate clip. While the garden was overgrown, Mr Stafford said it was far from 'the worst' he'd seen. Inside the home was also a mess, with several rooms filled with clutter from floor to ceiling. Mr Stafford asked his viewers to avoid judging Michelle, saying: 'Understand sometimes life can be difficult for some.' However, hundreds of commenters turned their judgment towards the housing department and the woman. They claimed social housing should be treated as a 'short term solution' and questioned why Michelle was living in a home she couldn't manage. Many questioned why a three-bedroom home was only occupied by one woman - when a family could live there. 'She's on her own and can't maintain the home. Department of Housing should swap her into a small unit with no maintenance. The property would probably be better utilised by a family,' one wrote. 'Why does she get to live in a three-bedroom home when it's only her? So many families could use a house,' another said. 'There is so many commission houses that are three bedrooms near me that have only one person living in them. No wonder so many families are living on the streets in our country,' a third added. 'If she has no family and cannot maintain the property, then transfer to a unit,' a forth said. 'She definitely should be moved into a unit. My mum was downsized from four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom unit once us kids moved out on our own,' another said. 'Ideally she needs to be moved to a smaller home where it's more manageable,' a sixth wrote. Others questioned why Michelle hadn't sought the help of homecare services before facing eviction. 'There are aged care services that can keep it maintained for her,' one commenter wrote. 'I'm on a pension, paying shared private rent and have to pay someone to do my yard. Surely she could have done the same,' a second added. 'Gee I'm on a pension paying shared private rent and have to pay someone to do my yard - surely she could have done the same,' a third said. Remaining commenters focused on applauding Mr Stafford for taking on the difficult job. 'Well done Nathan. You are an awesome human mate,' one wrote. 'You are an amazing, true, genuine man helping someone struggling,' another said.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Headlines: 'Council home sell-off' and 'lakes drying up'
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media. Our pick of local website stories Bristol 24/7 have reported on the council's plans to sell off up to 180 council homes that are "challenging to maintain" to raise nearly £5m to reinvest in social Council says it has "initiated legal steps" to remove a group of travellers that have pitched up on Burnham-on-Sea's Road in Swindon is set to undergo improvement works to improve safety and stop vehicles skidding. Our top three from yesterday Major incident as more than 60 homes evacuatedSuitcase killer 999 call: 'There's blood coming out of the suitcase'Sex, murder and bodies in suitcases - who were the men involved? What to watch on social media Pictures appearing to show Chew Valley Lake drying up have sparked concerns about a potential hosepipe Rail says it is carrying out "major resilience work" between the Severn Tunnel Junction and Gloucester to improve safety and reliability of the Wildlife Hospital's post about a badger cub that was found emaciated and drenched has attracted a lot of attention - with many saying it has become all too common.
RNZ News
a day ago
- General
- RNZ News
'We have a real problem': Homelessness increases but by how much unclear
A makeshift shelter on Hobson St in central Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Amy Williams Homelessness has increased, but by how much is unclear, according to a government report. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development's latest Homelessness Insights Report relies on data collected in Census 2023, observations collected from government agencies, councils and the sector, and found homelessness had increased, but it was impossible to quantify the exact increase. The report defines homelessness as living situations where people are forced to live; without shelter, in temporary accommodation, shared accommodation with a household or living in uninhabitable housing. It also looked into what support people receive 60 days after they exited emergency housing. Thirty-seven percent were housed in social housing, 29 percent went into transitional housing, 19 percent received the accommodation supplement and the remaining 14 percent may be living without shelter, although that cannot be confirmed. From May 2024 to March 2025, 972 households were housed through the Priority One Fast Track, including 2055 children, the report said. In March, 32 percent of applications for emergency housing were declined, up 4 percent from the previous year. The reasons people were declined include: 'The need can be met another way' (34.3 percent), 'Circumstances could have been reasonably foreseen' (22.5 percent), 'Not eligible for a grant' (16.7 percent) and 'Not an emergency situation' (14.7 percent). In Auckland, outreach providers reported they were working with 809 "unsheltered" clients, up from 426 in September 2024. Whangārei District Council has seen an increase in the number of public reports related to homelessness from 680 in 2023 to 1066 in 2024. The report said at the current rate, they are forecast to reach over 1200 reports in 2025. "It's clear we have a real problem," Chris Bishop says. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone In a statement, Housing Minister Chris Bishop said the report confirmed what frontline organisations like the Auckland City Mission and Salvation Army had been saying: there are too many people in housing need. "Accurate numbers are difficult to pin down - people without shelter often move around and may avoid engaging with government services - but it's clear we have a real problem." he said. "The government takes this seriously. At present, over $550 million is spent annually across a range of programmes run by multiple agencies, including Transitional Housing, Housing First, Rapid Rehousing and many other support services." Census data between 2018 and 2023 period showed a 37 percent increase of people living without shelter, despite the use of Emergency Housing. Speaking to media, Green Party spokesperson for Housing Tamatha Paul said this confirms what many on the ground are saying. "Although the data might be inconclusive altogether, it does in part confirm what we are seeing on the ground, what frontline workers are seeing on the ground, and what people are saying when they're trying to access emergency housing," she said. "I'm glad that there's some more transparency around what we are seeing, and that there is information in that briefing that says this government intentionally ignored advice that their decision would make homelessness worse." Paul said a faster than expected drop in emergency housing numbers was to blame. "Now we know that the cruelty and the misery that underlined and underpinned that rapid decrease in emergency housing numbers also aligns with an increase in homelessness," Paul said. Speaking to media, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said there was a range of support available for people who were declined emergency housing. "That could be through housing support products like tenancy cover, bond cover, all sorts of things. It could be in transitional housing or Housing First," he said. Potaka said he was confident there was support for many people who had been declined, but admitted he was unsure sure of "100 percent" of those people would get support. In a statement, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said the most significant jumps were in smaller cities. "In Taranaki, homelessness increased by 250 percent in just six months, and Whangārei is forecast to see 1200 reports of people who are homeless this year - in a population that is under 100,000 people" he said. "We have known homelessness has been rising since National came into government but Christopher Luxon, Chris Bishop and Tama Potaka have consistently denied it, ignoring everyone who gave them advice to the contrary." McAnulty said the rise in homelessness follows government decisions making it harder to access emergency housing.
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Disabled Pontefract woman 'trapped' in home since Christmas
A woman has described being "effectively trapped" by the steps leading to her home after becoming reliant on a wheelchair while waiting for new social Richardson, from Pontefract, West Yorkshire, has seen her health decline in recent years and says she has only managed to leave her rented property twice since Christmas. The 68-year-old began applying for new properties through a local housing association two years ago when it became clear her home was no longer suitable and couldn't be Homes, formerly known as Wakefield District Housing, said it empathised with her situation and encouraged her to continue to bid on its homes and with other providers. The former supermarket worker suffered a stroke when she was six, which affected the right side of her has lived independently for most of her life, but has struggled with mobility in recent years."I'm not living, I'm existing," she said."I shut the curtains and its just me until the next morning and it's frightening and scary."Mrs Richardson became dependent on a wheelchair last year and can no longer manage the steps leading to the property or use the toilet and separate bathroom without has lived in the bungalow for 12 years, but the landlord had always made it clear that fully adapting the property would not be possible, which is why she started applying for social housing."It's soul destroying, if there's a fire and I can't get out I'm just going to burn," she GP has stated in a letter that the situation is "severely affecting her mood" and has left her "depressed". Mrs Richardson has been applying for new housing through Vico Homes since 2023 but has had no success, despite being assessed as "high priority" for eight contacted the BBC after reading about amputee patient David Taylor, who has been stuck in Pontefract Hospital since January because of difficulties finding suitable Pete Girt, who represents Knottingley on Wakefield Council, said in his experience there seemed to be "a lack of focus" to solve these types of issues."I've been a councillor for a little over three years and I've lost count of the number of cases of people that have contacted me," he said."I've been successful helping some people get rehoused, but for the vast majority it's still ongoing.""There needs to be more focus on building or adapting properties for disabled people," he Thompson, Wakefield Council's interim service director for adult social care, said: "Our social work team continues to support Carol with applications to Vico Homes and other organisations who are responsible for providing housing."A Vico Homes spokesperson said: "We empathise with Mrs Richardson's situation and would encourage her to continue to bid on homes with us and other providers in the area to find a home as quickly as possible." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Fire at Co Mayo site set for major social housing development
A fire has caused extensive damage at a derelict building in Ballina, Co Mayo, on Monday night. The incident occurred on Kevin Barry Street at the property opposite the bus station, with the fire breaking out shortly after 9 pm. Advertisement Emergency services were alerted after the alarm was raised and the blaze was brought under control. The Western People reports Councillors had last week granted Part 8 planning permission for 31 social housing units at this site. The street remains closed off to traffic this morning, and diversions are in place. Gardaí have said no injuries have been reported at this time.
