Community housing provider, Northern Rivers Housing, has let social homes it owns sit empty while women camp outside, mothers sleep in cars with their children, and people wait decades for social housing.
Jo, a softly spoken, unassuming, woman in her late fifties, had been homeless for five years until she made a home in an empty house, apparently owned by Northern Rivers Housing. Before that, she had been living in a camp on the river in Mullumbimby for 15 months.
“This two-bedroom home has been empty for two years, which begs the question, why?” asks Chels Hood Withey of House You, a local housing advocacy organisation.
“Why can’t Jo, who is already on the social housing waitlist, who has cleaned the home and is taking good care of it, not be allowed to live here?” she asks.
Jo recently took legal possession of the property and is now a lawful occupier. She has utilities connected in her name and made it a home.
On Tuesday 13th October, two people who claimed to be working for Northern Rivers Housing arrived to intimidate and remove Jo, threatening to call the police to forcibly evict her, so they could board up the house and disconnect utilities.
The Northern Rivers Housing workers told House You that it was their job to check the empty homes regularly. When asked how many empty social homes are owned by this community housing provider, they replied “There are plenty of empty ones.”
Community resistance saved Jo another night in this home, but Northern Rivers Housing said they would be back in the morning.
“Make it make sense that Northern Rivers Housing would choose to board up and keep a perfectly good house empty, rather than allow a person to continue living in this home,” said Chels Hood Withey.
“If the point is to lease this social home, how does it speed up that process by boarding it up and disconnecting utilities?” she asked.
Jo said “I am already on the waitlist for social housing and have been homeless for too long.”
“I just want a home to live in that is safe, clean and close to my community. I request Northern Rivers Housing allow me to remain here and give me a formal lease.”
House You has contacted Northern Rivers Housing for an urgent meeting to allow Jo to take on the lease of this empty social house. There should be no empty homes while people are homeless.
