By Violet Li
Cranbourne residents, on edge following a high-profile alleged theft in the area, are petitioning to evict occupants from a local commission house after enduring years of abnormal activities.
Authorities say they are aware of concerns regarding alleged antisocial behaviour at the public housing premises.
A petition was launched online last week calling for the eviction of those who reside in the commision house in the Cranbourne district.
The petition quickly garnered more than 1200 signatures in less than a week.
Started anonymously by a self-claimed “distressed citizen”, the petition is urging the local housing commission and the city authorities to take immediate action to evict the residents.
“This is personal to us; we don’t feel safe even in our own homes anymore,“ the petition states.
“The fear and insecurity this has caused is immeasurable. Children no longer play outdoors; elderly residents feel trapped in their homes. This isn’t how a community should feel.”
A resident on the street, who preferred to be anonymous due to safety concerns, said they were petrified living nearby.
They recalled that the situation got worse and worse over the years, and now to an out-of-control extent.
“There can be up to 15 people in here at once,” they said.
They said their mental health was stuffed as they couldn’t sleep due to the noise from the house.
“They’re awake all the time. One night they spent taking a roof off a van, like pulling it apart,” they recalled.
The owner of four nearby units, who also preferred to be anonymous due to safety concerns, said he and his tenants had trouble with that public housing for years.
“That has really got worse over the last few years,” he said.
“It’s not really much going on during the day, but the tenants have told me, and the other neighbours around there, they’re up to all hours of the night sort of making noise.
“There’s lights on. They’re walking up and down the street.
“The tenants have complained to us. They’ve complained to the agent.”
The owner said the tenants are now quite worried and scared about what’s going on with these occupants, and some of them at this stage are looking at vacating.
He heard that some house owners nearby couldn’t sell their houses at the moment.
“Because people know what’s going on around the area. They don’t want to live there,” he said.
Quite a few houses in the neighbourhood are currently on the market for sale.
A Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) spokesperson said the department was aware of concerns regarding alleged antisocial behaviour at the public housing premises.
“The department does not tolerate antisocial behaviour in accommodation it owns and takes all incidents and complaints seriously,” they said.
“We are aware of concerns regarding alleged antisocial behaviour at the premises. We are working with Victoria Police and supporting agencies to address these concerns.
“We encourage people to report antisocial behaviour to the department and any criminal matters to Crime Stoppers or Victoria Police.”
The petition comes amid community concern after police charged a woman and two men after a number of goods were allegedly stolen from a store in Cranbourne. Three other people were arrested on unrelated matters.
Victoria Police declined to comment as the matter is now before the courts.
