Residents frustrated that Carlton community centres remain closed
With stadiums packed with more than 70,000 sports fans and music festivals back on, residents of Carlton’s housing estates are frustrated that their community rooms have remained closed due to “COVID concerns”.
The community rooms, including the Carlton Men’s Shed, have remained closed since March 2020 with no indication as to when they will reopen.
Speaking amid the latest snap lockdowns in Victoria, Carlton Housing Estates Residents Services secretary Hamdi Ali said many residents had been left without a place to socialise since the rooms were closed.
“People are already congregating in churches and mosques and yet they don’t have access to these community rooms,” Mr Ali said.
“It doesn’t make sense and it’s very frustrating that we don’t have answers from the department.”
Residents are yet to be given a date by the Department of Family, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) as to when the rooms will open.
Mr Ali said that many older members of the community had been forced to meet outside in the cold since the rooms were closed.
“There is a group of older Eritrean men who would meet every night in the community room to chat, drink coffee and use the computers to watch news back home,” Mr Ali said.
They had their own well-connected group but now that they can’t use the space they have to meet outside the room.
One of the men said that their group had been gathering in the community room for 20 years and now had nowhere to go.
“Since they closed the room we are suffering, we are all mostly more than 70 years old and now we can’t get together here,” he said.
“Especially in this cold, rainy season we have nowhere to go so it’s very hard in Carlton.”
Mr Ali said that for many of the residents, the closure of the Men’s Shed had also had a huge impact.
“Younger men from all walks of life would use the Men’s Shed to do their own individual projects and fix furniture,” Mr Ali said.
“One of the last projects was helping a woman to make a traditional Somalian hat. A lot of the community come to help and it’s all about socialising.”
Community development co-ordinator Elle Morrell said the rooms provided a space for the community to bond which was particularly important after last year’s extended lockdown.
“The rooms are used for socialising, and are particularly good support for people who live on their own,” Ms Morrell said.
“There’s an Eritrean women’s group and Turkish women’s group who used the rooms as a meeting place to support each other, talk and eat food.”
“It’s a real tragedy that they haven’t been opened yet as now is the time that people need support after a particularly stressful lockdown in Carlton.”
Ms Morrell also said Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre had been shut since the lockdown began early last year and is yet to receive confirmation from the department about when they could open.
“We do support services and it’s important right now that people have the opportunity to socialise and get help finding work,” she said.
A Homes Victoria spokesperson said the community facilities at public housing estates across Melbourne were due to reopen soon with COVID safe plans in place.
“The health and safety of public housing tenants is always our top priority, which is why the reopening of community facilities at public housing sites will be in line with public heath advice,” the spokesperson said.
“The programs community groups run in these facilities are highly valued by public housing communities and we look forward to having them back onsite soon.”
In response to the department’s statement, Mr Ali said that DFFH needed to be more transparent with residents.
“There was significant attention on the housing estates when the lockdown occurred, but since it’s ended people feel like the task at hand is finished,” Mr Ali said.
“The community awareness about the change of department from DHHS to DFFH is very limited and there hasn’t be much engagement with the residents.” •