- Residents of one of Melbourne’s most exclusive suburbs left livid with scheme
- Brighton homeowners object to housing five homeless people on empty plot
- Land is valued at $4million as locals have suggested they fear for their safety
- Government say efforts are to tackle ever-growing housing crisis in the city
Residents of an affluent Melbourne suburb are outraged after the Government revealed plans to move homeless residents into temporary housing on a plot worth nearly $4million.
Livid neighbours in the sought-after area of Brighton have objected to two blocks on South Road being used to help ease Melbourne’s ongoing housing crisis.
Temporary units with support services will be built on the site for five people but nearby homeowners now say they fear for their safety.
Residents of an affluent Melbourne suburb have been left outraged after the government revealed plans to move homeless residents into temporary housing on a plot worth nearly $4million (pictured)
Livid neighbours (pictured) in the sought-after area of Brighton have objected to two blocks on South Road be used to help ease Melbourne’s ongoing housing crisis
‘These people may have mental illnesses , they could be drug addicts, I can’t come home at night and feel safe,’ local Rosetta Caponio told Seven News.
‘My wife went into a panic mode, you know she really is at sixes and sevens because she is scared,’ resident Frank Deak said.
Their anger has been fuelled further by the Government’s failure to document their plans effectively, with just a handful of pamphlets handed out with information on the scheme.
‘I’ve had twenty to thirty telephone responses from people who are absolutely shocked at the lack of communication and consultation,’ another resident Russell McDonald revealed.
The government have said proposed homes are their latest attempt to tackle the city’s homeless problems since dispersing the Flinders Street homeless camp (pictured)
The coastal suburb of Brighton is one of Melbourne’s most sought after areas where the average house price well exceeds the national average
The Government said the proposed homes are its latest attempt to tackle the city’s homeless problems since dispersing the Flinders Street homeless camp earlier this year.
‘Homelessness and the housing crisis that we are dealing with as a government knows no boundaries in Melbourne. Tonight there will be rough sleepers in Brighton,’ Housing Minister Martin Foley said.
Despite the frosty response from nearby residents, the Government still plans to go ahead with the scheme as work is due to begin in the next few months.