Dept. of Housing in Suburbia
Posted by: Jen
4th Mar 2009 11:47pm
I didn't quite know where to post this topic. I really wanted to know why it is that so many people who live in Government housing have a problem keeping their lawns mowed? This is not applicable to all because there are many who keep their homes and lawns neat and tidy. The idea of the Government buying up houses in the nicer suburbs, I assume, was to encourage people to keep up with the neighbors and be a bit house proud. This obviously doesn't work for many. Some can't afford a mower perhaps or to employ someone to keep the lawn mowed. But surely there could be a compulsory scheme put in place whereby dole recipients could be employed to at least keep the grass mowed for these ones. A nominal charge to cover the cost for the tenant, taken out each fortnight, and an incentive scheme to encourage a dole recipient to volunteer for the job could work. I sometimes see streets of beautiful homes with one Dept of Housing dwelling with grass a metre high spoiling it for the whole street. (Old cars seem to be a problem too. When they can't afford to fix them, they just buy another bomb and leave the old one to be an eyesore.) It's not good enough surely, and could easily be rectified. We have one in our street. Nice enough people but they mow the lawn only about every 6 months! Old broken down cars litter the driveway as well. Is there a workable solution?
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Comments 41
elljay
Back in the day the lawnmower was shared, people mowed others lawn or mowed over the neighbours side. Nowadays no one cares to share help or just mow for others.What a wonderful world it would be if we helped a brother up not put him down.
PukPuk
Lots of topics in this one. Work for the dole should be mandatory unless there is some physical or mental impairrment even if it just to highlight life includes balancing rights and responsibilities.
Many years ago I worked in a country town where a whole segment was housing commission. That street fit the general perception of a lower income level neighbourhood. I went back about 10 years later to visit some people I knew and couldnt believe the turnaround. Seems some "good albeit poor" residents moved in and used good old elbow grease to spruce up the property with cleaning and eventually started gardens (floral front and vegies out back). The idea caught on and through this action and eventual neighbour peer pressure the whole street got into the spirit of low income does not mean squalor. The same street a further 15 years on still presented better than the up market streets in that town. Must get back there one day to see what another 10 years presents.
Sil sil
Hmm, I was under the impression that the government sent out maintenance ppl to the houses to maintain their lawns?
frilly
I think this scheme was a good idea if they could somehow choose the tenants. That sounds snobbish probably to many but why should people who work hard to pay for a home which they then take pride in but upset by their neighbourhood or even the next door house is an eyesore.
I personally know of a house in a lovely culdesac was given to a young woman, who happens to be a single mother. She was given a washing machine, lawnmower & other necessities to help her settle with her children & had little money.
The garden which had been landscaped by the previous young couple has disappeared under the uncut grass, The neighbour is over run by cats & kittens, They cannot afford to get the cat spayed so it has litter after litter of kittens. The neighbours have caught them time after time. Taken them to the local Vet who has now refused to take any more. They just cannot cope with them , cannot find homes for them
RSPCA also says they cannot take any more & she cannot be made to have the cats spayed, of course there are many adult males & females running about.
All the neighbours are suffering cats, marking their front doors & digging in their gardens, They are helpless to do anything about it, the Council will not help.
This doe not happen with every Council tenant I know but who wants even one next door or in your street?
frilly
GodzGirl04
Maybe some of these tenants are on Disability Pension and are quite ill a lot of the time and can't afford the up keep.
It all comes back to communities and our definition of one. Do we know our neighbours?? Do we check on each other and make sure they're ok? Do they need a hand with anything?
We've got to start thinking outside of our own lives if we want to have better communities overall.
I'm not saying that we should help those who don't want to help themselves, no way! I'm saying that we, in our own street/community, should keep our eyes open to those in need and extend that help if we are in a position to do so. We in turn will feel great doing it AND they will feel like they matter in this world. Its a win/win situation really!
antzy
It's a part of the rules that they're meant to maintain the house and get along with the neighbours, but I find (usually, not all) that lower socioeconomic families/people don't put in the time to do these things. Be it laziness, no money, no motivation etc. There's a reason why they can't afford things and live off centrelink, and you can tell just by looking at their residence. My boyfriend and I were looking for a place to live and he flat out refuse to live near or next to state housing (unless it's just one house thats down the road). We initially found a house that was perfect and then our broker found out that the house was surrounded by state housing, both next door and behind. yikes!
Tylerrr23
Don't give in to the government!
chickenman
in my opinion, people who do not look after their accomodation, have no pride in themselves and even less for other people and their property. therefore, they should not be allowed into housing unless they pay for it totally
ozziedigger
Hi Jen you picked a good subject,it is a problem nearly every one has.
Most of the points put forward are valid,the only thing left is a solution.Nearly everyone has pride in their home,but some don`t.The latter living in DOH for a couple of generations mostly don`t,but their kids might.So with neighbourhood encouragement and the definite housing shortage about to happen,the original problem will disappear.Education is not just letters and numbers,and certainly not
just for kids.
Rosefairy
Have you offered to mow the lawn for them? In my experience it is more often a single mum without resources and stretched to the limit just keeping up with kids and schools and doctors etc.
havalaugh
I would like to offer my life experience. I was young when I married & I used to look down at all the single mums at the time on the pension that my taxes paid for. Until after 3 years in an abusive marriage with a child by then & 1 on the way, I ended up one of those single mothers.
My 1st home was back at my parents house back into the bedroom I grew up in. But with my name on a list for government housing. When my name came up I was given what they call a walk up flat which I made a very nice home for 6 years with my 2 daughters. Many women that lived in this city of flats behaviour was very different to one another. Some didn't wash their children, some did! Some didn't feed their children, some did! At the time I was interacting with my sisters new boyfriend Paul from england & I was angry about the same points that this conversation is centred around. I was explaining to him how hard it was to live in an environment where some people wiped out the communal laundries with disinfectant ready for the next person to do their laundry whilst other ones left shitty nappies for you to find & clean up before you could put your laundry into the machines. And abundent other problems, as some were up all night, while others tried to sleep or watch tele. Which was nearly impossible if the noisy one was up stairs! Well when you achieve getting one of these hell holes to live in, your name then went down on a waiting list for a ministry house. Which is where some of the dirty crew would end up (which I think stems from thier up bringing & laziness) into mostly a lovely renovated ministry house that has just had the last tenants shift out, and of course they would follow on with their messy, loud, behaviour.
I asked paul about the equal housing in england and I feel they had a better method to teach their tenants better behaviour towards their new found accomadation. And that was if you could't abide by the rules of your 1st property you didn't move on to any better.
What a top idea! Every new tenant in england was read the associated requirments of looking after their premises and abiding the noise rules. Or breeching their right to move into further comfortable bigger accommodation. After 6 years my name come up for my ministry home. Which the girls & I loved. I had no broken down cars on my property but I did rely on my old dad bringing his lawn mower around to mow my lawns, which at times was a real headache to keep down. As I had no money to hire someone. And could not work at the time since my eldest daughter was a cronic asthma sufferer.
Things have got better since then I am now 47 and have been buying my own home for about 14 years. But I just wanted to offer some insight into the situation. Hope this does!
CheryDJ
I lived in DHC home in Darwin and when I moved back here i likved in flat then a house owned by the DHC. I really looked after all the places which I have rented.....Im lucky now to own our home. But without them checking...i sorta miss that....because it used to make me make the house shine....LOL
Ozbev
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules.
Jess25
I also can't believe some of the posts out there! I live in a private home which we keep tidily mown, but let me tell you, the bloke next door also in a private home doesn't think it important to keep his yard/garden mown and neither did our neighbours on both sides (in private homes) in our last private home. This problem has absolutely NOTHING to do with private/government homes and has EVERYTHING to do with the actual people living in these homes. I suppose "private/nice" suburbs don't have any crime either!!! Wake up.
trix56
Thank you Jess!!! I am a DOH tenant surrounder by a few DOH houses and many more private houses. There is 1 garden here which gets a bit out of hand but a walk down the street will show you many other private houses that are not well maintained.
My tenancy only started recently but I have inspections every 3 months and am expected to keep both the house and garden in a well maintained manner.
Fortunately I had my garden planted, drip watered and tree barked before I came. I'm not much of a gardener but I do manage to pull the weeds out now and again to keep the garden looking nice. One of my DOH neighbours has planted even more plants in her garden and obviously shows a lot of pride in the appearance of her house.
It is NOT JUST DOH tenants who neglect their gardens.
cetta
yes I agree with the idea that dole recipeants should be put to work mowing these lawns and also the problem with the old bombs could be rectified in the same manner
cat
i live in DOH housing and am surrounded by both private and DOH owned houses. Where i am there are schemes in place to help those dissadvantaged or lacking in funds to maintain their yards.One of the schemes is people on community based orders are used at a minimal cost of 15 dollars and we also have a community house that lends out mowers for free. Some people may have a problem with community based ordered people on their properties for obvious reasons and some may not be able to physically do the lawn mowing themlelves. if i contascted my council i am sure they would give me help or ideas to get it done. Overgrown gardens provide their own problems and the local council is then the body for complaints.
victory
I lived in a Public Housing suburb for 28yrs, husband & I bought our own house for $27,750 I hated it from the start, I had to make the best of a bad thing with surrounding long lawns, some metres long & some bad tenants, I decided I had no choice, our neighbours were also buying their own homes so I had no problem directly. I looked after our 3 children and beutifully manicured lawns. Our house was immaculate when we sold our house we sold after 28yrs and received $263,000 Moved on up to mid north coast, I live in a regional town and there are the same derelict people in Public housing here
but I think there is a minority. I look at the good ones and try to get on with our life and don't worry too much you can only do your best by voicing your opinion. I hope someone reads your letter who can do somdthing about them to get them motivated. Everyone has a right to live in peace and those people are grubs. You are right there shoud be a job out there for those unemployed lazy people.
bren
One solution might be to get rid of the lawns and replace them with low maintenance, low water-requirement gardens. Lawns are one of the most unnatural types of garden coming into vogue in 16th century Europe in the estates of the rich and famous.
dlrmatrix
yep i agree maybe there should be a day of the year to mow the lawns !
mazzab2003
Jen, As a DOH teneant for over 35 years, I can understand some of where you are coming from and also some of where Castigen is coming from. However, a solution for you would be to contact your local DOH office, ask for the property manager for your street and explain the situation to him/her. The DOH does NOT do regular inspections like Real Estate agents do so most times they only become aware of the problems from reports by other people. My street is a mixture of private and DOH homes and there is mainly only 1 house in the street which is a problem and yes it is a DOH home. There have been numerous complaints made about this tenant by both private and DOH occupants, all of which have been dealt with quickly.The result being the tenant is now on a "last chance" tenancy. If she has one more complaint made against her, she will be evicted. Try it you have nothing to lose.
Den
I can see that this topic has been going on for some time now, so I apologize if I have repeated someone here. But the whole thing really comes down solely to a value set. You, the topic poser, have one ideal of how to live your life. An idea which can not, and should not, be forced upon someone else. Yes I agree that when one house in a street does not conform to the same appearance as another it can be an eyesore to the collective. But as someone put it in a previous reply, there are "different strokes for different folks." Maybe they are complaining that everyone else has ugly short grass on their properties?
Anthropologically, we are all attuned differently. To stereotype terribly, an upbringing of a middle class family with more opportunities is going to bring about a completely different value set to that of a person not given anything. Further too this, the tenants of these properties and their stories are many and varied. From wheelchair bound tenants, the mentally disabled, to out just plain of luck tenant's, all have the right to shelter, which is the primary issue behind the Dept's existence.
I am an architect, currently working on a job for the Dept of Housing, and believe me, it is a very difficult thing to design around. Let alone the fact that a new build also contains issues of Town Planning and Setback controls which can in many cases lead to lawns/garden that are too large for the tenants to manage themselves. Consequently the DoH has guidelines that have been put in place in recent years to prevent this sort of thing happening. Basically the outcome means a more maintenance free garden, which should prevent the unsightly long grass and overgrown shrubs etc.
The subject of inclusion rather than exclusion has its negatives to some, but the positives far outweigh these. Diversity is very important in urban planning, whether you believe it or not. Considering that the people who inhabit these buildings go in with very little income to spend on food and their children's education, you have to think how important, mowing their lawns may be to them. Young single mother's/or fathers working two jobs and with 3 children to feed may find it difficult to find time to do the most simple of chores that you or I might consider second nature.
As a student, and even only a few years ago as a renter, It was very common not to mow our lawns or keep the place tidy, as it was just not important to us. Usually, ownership breeds nurture. Renting for many, means shelter, not nice lawns.
Just a thought. :)
sherri
Thankyou Den!
Anonymous
Well Den, I couldn't have put it better myself! Not that I was going to try, as I thought the discussion was becoming too personal to be of benefit to anyone else in the forum setting. And we don't all want to live in a place that looks exactly the same as the rest of the street with our grass (water-waster) cut within a millimetre of it's life...
castiger
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules.
GodzGirl04
My point EXACTLY Sherri!! I went through A similar situation..
Niecee
Oh baggage, I am so happy to see what you have typed!!! there is way to much discrimination going on here!!! I am a Housing tenant and there are homes in my street that are owned and they are the worst for not mowing and for wrecked cars, not the Housing people. Lets get people to stop being bigots and to accept that it is all walks of life that can be like this!!!
sherri
Jen, I do not have a problem with you referring to 'them' and 'they' are this or that ...as long as you are talking about SPECIFICALLY about the neighbours over the road to you!
But if people generalize from the particular - as you seem to be doing, - saying 'why are DOH like this?' then YES, the comments DO sound bigoted! - and as a long time DOH resident, I find that offensive.
With reference to the behaviour of your particular neighbours, I have no idea at all...why don't you ask them? (you say that they are nice enough people)
And (at the risk of confirming your bias)...I will admit that there were times when I too had long grass.
Might I point out the bleedin' obvious and state that your friends who DO keep their places tidy HAVE A LAWNMOWER and therefore CAN mow their lawns - they have the money or the capacity to repair a broken down mower, or the ability to pay someone else to do it. They might even have family to mow the lawn if they are too sick to do so for themselves.
I had none of these things - and so there were times when my grass was unkempt too...extended periods! And I even had a car body in the yard, thanks to my violent, drunken EMPLOYED ex! - who had absolutely no interest in removing it...and I did not have the capacity to make him.
FAR from not caring, - the state of the yard and my incapacity to fix it (together with the other problems that had made me eligible for a DOH tenancy in the first place) fueled a depression that would have made it difficult to deal with the yard even if I HAD the capacity to do so.
So people, instead of complaining and labelling DOH tenants (who need to be the WORST OFF in the community to even get onto the housing list) how about pitching in and offering a hand! ASK if there is anything that you can do to help. Organise a neighbourhood clean up etc. Be part of the solution rather than slagging 'them' off! - because believe me, even if nothing is said directly, you can FEEL it when people disaprove of you, and it does nothing to help in rectifying any problems that there may be.
castiger
Oh baggage, thank you! At long last someone who gets the fact that simply living in a DOH home doesn't make you a worthless person! You've made my day!!!
sandgroper
Don't worry, sweet, innocent one... some of us have had to endure the nightmare that exists in many areas that contain Government housing . Most of us don't pre-judge...The multitude of experiences that have poured in our direction, are so embedded that we NEVER forget what it is REALLY like ... and each time we see a severely unkempt property, you can bet your bottom dollar that 90% of the time it is a property of Government housing..
If you can't grasp that , try burning your finger on the hotplate a dozen times and see if you get an impression what might be the outcome on the 13th time as you face the hotplate.... maybe you would call it pre-judged.....
More inspection officers are required to actually police the situation of cleanliness + safety within the perimeter of the Government properties that are rented to persons .. regardless of whether they work or not.
Most of us do take a good look in the mirror and appreciate the fact that we pay our rates, are law abiding AUSTRALIANS and it is our taxes that is subsidising the Government housing renters and we expect those renters - regardless of age, colour, sex, religion , nationality - to treat our Government properties with respect .. and that means to keep them tidy + clean...
Those concerned about long grass/weeds [fire hazard] cars on the verge, etc should just lodge complaints to the local councils , local fire authority + health department... then it is those departments that become regarded as bigots etc when they see fit to prosecute...
castiger
Hi baggage
Well as you can see I tried but it was a losing battle from the get go. Some people can only see the world from their one perspective & nothing & nobody will change that.
Sad world!
baggage
Having read these articles, I cannot believe what I am hearing. My past occupation was assisting unemployed people, helping them find employment, quite a few were from Department of Housing. I always believe don't judge a book by it's cover. I formed a relationship with a lot of people over the years,their
culture, life experiences is a real eye opener. We all haven't been handed a spoon in life. Most it is a challenge to survive each day!!
Jen
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules.
castiger
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules.
Jen
My goodness! Was that Castiger or Castigator?
MY OP was trying to find a solution to this problem....something that works for everyone. It was not a criticism of all DOH residents. Some of my closest friend live in DOH houses. They keep them beautifully.
I am stating a truth...one shared by many here. You seem to be the lone dissenter.
"These people" I am referring to are the ones whose homes are a disgrace in the neighbourhood. If I had non DOH people as neighbours who were guilty of this, I would complain about these as well, but I don't .
I have tried on occasion to talk to the people concerned but nothing gets done.
I live in a neighbourhood where all take some pride in the appearance of their homes. Are we to be condemned for that? We live in a community where each is expected to contribute to the upkeep of the neighbourhood as a whole. We owe that to each other IMO.
I am a pensioner, but I pay someone to come and do my lawns. Sure it stretches the budget, but I do it because I would not like my home to be an eyesore.
My neighbours drink, smoke and spend a lot of time at the club. That is their choice.
I choose to spend my money a little more wisely so that there is enough for the necessary things. I consider the appearance of my home to be a necessary thing.
It's all about priorities.
For someone who is accusing me of a judgmental spirit, you seem to be displaying a very judgmental sprit yourself.
What does my religious persuasion have to do with this topic?.....another judgment. Are you displaying a little bigotry towards those with a religious persuasion here?
Try extracting the rafter from your own eye before you try removing the speck from mine. OK?.
castiger
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules.
Jen
Castiger, do you have a DOH home next door to you or across the street from you? I do. They are nice enough people in themselves, but they do not mow their lawn and they leave old cars to rust on their driveway. Some are left on the grass and leave an ugly bare patch when they are finally removed. (after complaints)
The OP was not knocking people who live in DOH housing; it was asking if those who receive welfare payments and don't take care of their DOH homes be made to do so or at least given some incentive to keep their places from looking like rubbish tips.
I have friends who live in DOH homes who keep them beautifully. Lawns mowed, gardens tended.
We need to find a way to give DOH people who fail to appreciate what they are given, some sense of pride in the neighborhood or even themselves. Many of these people act as if the world owes them a living. My DOH neighbors will come and go at all hours of the night with no thought that others are sleeping. They talk and laugh (or fight) as if they are the only people on the planet. There is no consideration at all for other people in the neighborhood.
It's not bigotry...it's asking them to be considerate. None of my other neighbors are a problem at all.
Why is that, do you think?
david
i think people renting houses should treat them as there own.look after the property inside and out.be house-proud.some people are naturally messy and do not care.this also brings down the value of houses in there streets,which is very unfair.david
dougo
I think it depends on the tenants. For many tenants, there's a family history of living in public housing going back for generations. Some of these tenants have the mentality that it is "their" home and they are quite house proud.
Other tenants - not all of them - have the mindset that the Government will do everything for them and that it's tough luck that the grass is a metre high, it's the Government's fault and they should fix it.
My understanding is that the Department of Housing takes action (Tenancy Tribunal as an example) against tenants for various reasons and does try to encourage tenants to do the right thing.
It would be nice if Department of Housing dwellings weren't forced upon us and if neighbours who are not Department of Housing tenants but adversely affected by their proximity had more say in what goes on in their neighbourhood.
saltashlady
Different strokes for different folks. If they are renting there should be someone inspecting the property ensuring they maintain it. If the tenants don't take the responsibility, their centrelink payment should be deducted for the up keep.
gk
Agee totally with you !