Have tenants been relocated against their will or evicted from the Block to make way for the new redevelopment?
A. Absolutely not. In 1997 three surveys where conducted of our tenants, one internally and two independent (by ATSIC and by the NSW Government). The 53 original households were asked if they wanted to remain on the Block or be relocated. At the time 41 households chose to relocate and 12 elected to stay. The reasons tenants chose to leave the Block are many and varied but generally speaking many were families and their concerns revolved around safety and the fear of children becoming involved in the drug and crime trades that dominated the area at any one time. In regards to the eviction of tenants, the AHC has had a policy up until recently of only evicting on the grounds of non-payment of rent. As of 2005, the AHC has adjusted its policy to reflect stronger drug premises legislation and has evicted tenants who have been caught selling drugs.
