For one elderly couple living outside Foster (for the sake of privacy, we’ll call them Ted and Anne), the sight of an untenanted house just metres away from the services they require on a weekly basis, really does rub salt into their wounds.

And to discover it is government social housing stock that is allegedly going on the open market when they are at the top of the priority list for rehoming, simply makes the matter worse.

Ted and Anne are not in the best of health, with both receiving Home Care Packages (HCP). Ted receives level four, the highest, and Anne is about to move up to level three. But with Ted incapacitated by a stroke and Anne suffering from macular degeneration, which could eventually leave her blind, they are desperate to find accommodation within Foster for when the day comes that Anne is no longer able to drive.

The couple currently rent a traditional weatherboard farmhouse a few kilometres out of town. It’s warm and inviting just like the couple, but it is dated and most definitely not disability friendly despite a number of updates provided by their care packages.

“I know with the package we can get the flying doctor to come and pick us up and take us wherever we need to go”, Anne said.

“But, it’s just too isolated. We’ve been trying since 2022 to get into housing but we’ve had no luck whatsoever”, she added.

Prior to retirement, Anne worked in the town’s nursing home and helped out at the op shop, becoming a known and respected part of the community.

“All the services we use are here in town, our daughter and her family are here and we have friends here, so we really don’t want to move to another town”, Anne continued.

According to a spokesperson for the Department for Families, Fairness and Housing, “there are 46 public housing homes on the Prom Coast, and only three of these are currently vacant. One of these will be tenanted shortly, one requires maintenance to be carried out before it can be tenanted, and one will be tenanted following the completion of VCAT processes.”

“We work hard to ensure properties are tenanted as soon as possible, including undertaking the necessary inspection, safety checks and repairs in line with the Residential Tenancies Act before the property is ready for the next renters,” the spokesperson added. He was unable to clarify the situation regarding 100 Station Street before the print deadline. 

The Station Street property has been vacant for at least a couple of months and apart from the grass being overgrown out front, nothing at a glance seems to be wrong with it, and it would certainly fit the needs of Ted and Anne. 

The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, said it was very alarming to receive repeated reports of seemingly untenanted public housing properties.

“Right across the electorate I am regularly receiving reports of houses that appear to have been left vacant for months.

“I try to follow-up and get answers when these reports come in, but I very rarely get an answer, let alone a straight answer on why the properties appear to be untenanted.

Mr O’Brien said he understood that privacy is important and that properties could be vacant for a number of reasons, but that Gippslanders deserve answers. David Barrett