00:00Gail knew her brother Geordie had been having problems with his public housing property
00:06after their mum died.
00:08That's John and that's my baby brother Geordie.
00:12But she wasn't aware of the full extent.
00:14I don't know what the problem was that they'd said to him, because he didn't tell me.
00:19All he'd come home and he was swearing and carrying on and shouting, he was too much
00:24in his own mind.
00:26Geordie was evicted after verbal threats to neighbours and staff and reports of fires
00:30according to the Department of Communities, allegations his family, disputes.
00:34He stayed in this shed out the back of his sister's as he tried unsuccessfully to get
00:39back on the public housing waitlist.
00:41In October last year, a review of the decision confirmed his rejection, but didn't clearly
00:46explain the steps he could take to get back on the waitlist.
00:50The 52-year-old took his life at Gail's home two weeks later, found by her husband Leonard.
00:55They wonder if he understood he wasn't blacklisted for life, and wish the Department of Communities
01:00had approached them as Geordie's family to help him understand what was happening.
01:04They'd have dealt with Gail as well.
01:07She could have helped them through that difficulty, because he does listen to her.
01:13We knew what was happening with him at home, but we didn't know what was going on between
01:18those people.
01:20Housing advocate Betsy Buchanan has supported Geordie's family.
01:24She says he was also a victim of institutional child abuse, and so should have been better
01:28supported by the Department.
01:30I hope that they will stop evicting victims of child abuse, because often the behaviour
01:38that they worry about is caused by the abuse, and there are plenty of ways of dealing with
01:44that that aren't so punitive.
01:46The Department said Geordie received repeated written, telephone and in-person contact from
01:51staff to help him maintain his tenancy, but didn't answer a question about support offered
01:56after he was rejected from the waitlist.
01:59The evictions issue is set to be explored in the Supreme Court this week, with community
02:03legal centres bringing two test cases, challenging the Department's efforts to remove tenants.
02:09If successful, they hope the cases will force the government to change its policies, and
02:13get it to give struggling tenants more support.
02:16The Thorns hope whatever the outcome, the Department will improve its communication
02:20with families of those facing eviction.
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