Full Media Release - City of Holdfast Bay - Contradictory and Cruel Health and safety concerns due policing with ongoing stress Dr. Alice Clark, Executive Director of Shelter SA is highly critical of the latest developments between the City of Holdfast Bay and the Brighton Caravan Park residents, saying today “they have reached new lows with their offer of $8000 to the Brighton Caravan Park residents and the ultimatum of a date within a couple of weeks to accept the offer and to vacate by 17 November”. The Council continues to contradict itself by failing to answer even simple questions from residents because of their insistence that communication can only happen between legal representatives, but then we hear Deputy Mayor Rosemary Clancy participating in radio interviews and being quoted in the media. Councillor Clancy has stated that the offer is “fair” and that she is “sorry” if people feel they’ve been “short changed”. Dr. Clark said “Councillor Clancy’s logic is flawed on several counts never mind her ethics – how is it fair to offer people such a small percentage in return for the amounts of money they have invested in their homes? Why would people buy and sell homes if they understood that they were in no way permanent and were allowed to stay on, some people for up to 30 years?” It seems that this Councillor is not sorry at all – people don’t just “feel” they’ve been short changed – this offer is much worse than that. She shows a deep lack of understanding by saying they can just “move their van somewhere else”. The homes are made up of a caravan attached to a permanent annex with concrete foundations, plumbing, sewerage, electricity, gas and telephone lines – even if they could be moved, they are not designed for being dismantled and reassembled. Even if that was so, there is nowhere for people to go other than a few remaining caravan parks where they would be in exactly the same precarious situation. Councillor Clancy’s throw-away line that the residents can just get private rental or Housing SA is ludicrous and she is simply offering media fodder and stirring up hatred towards these citizens. As for the offer of $8000 being a waste of ratepayers’ funds, it was not mentioned how much money will be by wasted by Council if they proceed to force legal action. No amount of money can compensate residents for the loss of their precious community and the support and friendship they share. According to definitions of homelessness used in the academic literature, the residents are currently homeless as they have no security of tenure. Shelter SA has written to the City of Holdfast Bay on three occasions and to date has not received a reply, nor have the Council responded to the Resident Committee’s correspondence or answered their questions. Dr. Clark said “this situation has been poorly handled from the outset and need not be the case – if Council had engaged the residents, listened to them and showed adequate concern an outcome to meet the needs of all involved could have been easily reached”. Contact Dr. Alice Clark Executive Director Shelter SA – Peak Body for Housing & Homelessness 0425060649 [email protected]
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:11:37 +0000
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