Termites in Housing

I have just finished reading the 42 page "summary" of the Auditor General's report on HNSW.
There was nothing surprising in it.
Too few houses plus too many people... no brainer that one!
Stock depletion and maintenance deficit... yep, situation normal.
Under-occupancy got quite a run - with very few practical solutions.



The equation goes like this: Lack of houses = problems with allocation (only those on the most critical priority list are being housed) = creation of slums (high concentration of people with "complex" needs) = high crime and anti-social behaviour = higher costs to HNSW and less rent revenue = less maintenance on existing stock = selling off assets = lack of houses.

You get the picture...

What was also not surprising is how littered the report was with phrases like "These ... initiatives have not been part of an overarching long-term plan to respond to the growing need. Nor has there been consistent monitoring and reporting on the effectiveness of interventions."

So, in other words, they are making it up as they go along. They implement policies with no idea whether it will work, no way to measure if it works, and don't care either way - coz they are happy and safe and warm in their cozy little public servant jobs.

Anyway - I managed to read the whole 42 page report while waiting on the phone for the call-centre to address my maintenance problem - TERMITES!

You know, those pesky little blighters who eat away slowly at the structure of a domicile, undermining the integrity, eroding the security until only a flimsy shell remains and then one day the whole thing collapses with a puff of wind...

The analogy was not lost on me.