Housing clean-up

HOUSING A.C.T. will crack down on antisocial behaviour at public housing developments with a specialist response team of social workers trained to deal with common problems among tenants, such as drug and alcohol addiction.

Up to 1500 reports of antisocial behaviour are received by ACT public housing authorities each year. Domestic violence, drug dealing or addiction, and neighbourhood disputes were frequently the cause.

Current rules for dealing with problem tenants are often not effective because the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal - the organisation that determines if tenants should be evicted - requires evidence from sworn witnesses, but few affected tenants are willing to appear because they fear repercussions.

While only a minority of tenants cause disruptions impacting on their neighbours, many Housing ACT tenants are forced to endure violent and abusive behaviour within their community, loud music at night, and threats from addicts and dealers in and around housing developments.

To combat the antisocial behaviour across the ACT's public housing stock of almost 12,000 properties, the Government proposes to hire three social workers to tackle the underlying issues causing disruptive behaviour by tenants.

In a discussion paper, Housing ACT suggests a two-pronged approach to the problem by providing support for affected tenants and imposing sanctions, including eviction, against disruptive tenants through the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

''Those people affected by prolonged antisocial behaviour feel unsafe in their homes and their communities and may experience resulting health and mental health issues,'' the paper says. ''Housing ACT acknowledges that disadvantaged background is a significant contributor to disruptive behaviour and can be traced to underlying social issues such as drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness.

''Tenants are to be provided with full opportunity to modify their behaviour. It is proposed that tenants that display ongoing antisocial and disruptive behaviour be required to actively engage in with an appropriate nominated service provider to assist in addressing the underlying causes,'' it said.