A week of ups and downs

Obviously everyone has stuff going on in Real life as well as the little things that bring them joy or irritation or at its extreme anger and distress in game.

When dealing with guild drama or people in game I do try to remember that, because you don't know what life is like for the person on the other side of the monitor.


Having said that - sometimes I have my own real life issues that I am dealing with too and its a good leveller -- a good reminder that the toon you're interacting with most likely has someone behind the scenes who may be less than at their happiest today.

So get to the point what are you waffling about Cat?

Well bear with me I want to digress and tell you about my job......

I work in state housing. The intention of which is to provide housing to those people who have the greatest need. So the very nature of my work means I meet a very diverse range of people.

I have tenants who have arrived in the country as Quote Refugees - The official definition of a refugee is:
"A person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion is outside the country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country." The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

I have tenants who have gang affiliations/have been released from jail/come from abusive relationships/are mentally or physically disabled and some that tick most of the aforementioned.

I manage around 280 properties in an area that is considered upmarket/desirable. My properties are salt and peppered n amount private ownership. Blended. An area I wouldn't live in if you paid me! People who strive to have the best, amass and obtain the best and pretend there are no problems in their neighbourhood.

In my two years of doing this I have seen many things that shock me, things that sadden me and things that bring me a warmth and joy I can hardly express. Perhaps its hope. On the worst scale I have also seen some of the worst in mankind.

 A quiet street that youth gangs descended on to have a stouch that had been organised on Bebo because one group didn't like another. The result was 30+ teenagers armed with whatever they could get a hold of with the intention of beating the hell out of each other.14-18 year olds with Machetes, lumps of wood and the dog that was impounded for being threatened as a weapon to be used against police. A later inspection at the property at the heart of this resulted in me witnessing a hand gun on the 15 year old teenagers bed. Subsequent communications with the neighbours around the issues in this neighbourhood tore at my heart. The private owners who were selling their home because they couldn't live in fear any longer. The old couple who took turns sleeping so the other could be on alert in case anything happened....

Where did we as a community go wrong that our children believe it is acceptable or right to organise a brawl on a social networking site, to terrorise a neighbourhood and to have raised kids who have no respect for authority or the sanctity of life?

A Methamphetamine addict who lived with his mum. Was given to burts of aggression (Usually directed at contractors) who following his mothers death would not move out of the house. He moved more of his druggie mates in and following an attempted inspection at the property became physically threatening and actually had me off down the road calling for help from the road workers nearby. I later found out that he had a rather concerning police record for assaults on woman.

Which came first? the drugs or the personality flaws. Did his violent acts come about from the drugs or would he have been a dangerous person anyway?

A man who was convicted for being a cook (that is someone who cooks the meth) and was released after "Doing his time". He is morbidly obese and has multiple health issues, a good many that probably resulted from his ongoing exposure to the chemicals used in his trade. He has now but he doesn't have longevity. He is a large and physically dominant person. If you met him in an alleyway you would be nervous. BUT he is an incredibly quietly spoken and respectful person.  He does the landscaping/gardening for a good many of the neighbouring units who are a whole story in themselves.and he has almost completed the rebuilding of a scrap metal caravan into a well restored and fabulous example of what one can achieve if one wants to.

Did his time inside give him the opportunity to break away from the life he was living? Was he always a nice person who perhaps made bad choices? Does he regret the pain and suffering that his trade bought other people or was it "Just a job"?

A mother whom I first met when she was moved to one of my properties to give her safety. Her partner was in jail for serious assault against her. We rehoused her to make her safe. She adored her children and was totally devoted to them. She made cookies and did all the things you would expect from the Brady bunch. From the outside the move was a good result.

Sadly not long into the tenancy I received a request from the police for the ex partner to be bailed to the address. I declined due to the reasons for his incarceration and for her being housed where she was. Subsequently she became increasingly difficult to contact. The house got shabbier and shabbier and I was unable to get in for inspections. Family members kept telling me she was looking after a dying parent. She is now living with her kidsin a drug rehab clinic for at least another 2-3 months.

I applaud her for finding the strength to say she had a problem. But at what point did things go downhill? Where did her world come off the rails?  Was she hiding in the drugs and then wake up one day and realise she wasnt hidden but lost? How could this woman who was so devoted to her children lose sight of that in an effort to dull her pain?

The family whom I first met living in a 3 bedroom home - a mother, her son, her daughter and her daughters children. The mother is the victim of domestic violence and a rape. The house was cluttered and filthy. The daughter and grandchildren slept on the floor in the lounge. You couldnt see, let alone eat at the dining table due to clutter everywhere. The kids always had runny noses and scabbed knees and rashes.  Over the last two years I have witnessed the transformation in this family. It happens slowly. I gave this woman worth by sitting and listening, having a smoke and a coffee. I didnt let her wallow in being a victim but also didnt actually DO anything other than get a fence built and a bathroom redecoration and the bedroom walls painted. Very slowly it happened. The first big thing was the dining table started being used for dining. The clutter was cleared and culled. The house was cleaned, dishes done, a new found pride in their surroundings came through. The daughter has now been rehoused too and she is so cute playing house.

 Did the few things i do really make such a difference to this family? I dont think so - i just gave them little things to be happy and proud of. In return they gave me so much more. When work is particulary hard or I have had a week of too many sad stories or degredation I go and have a coffee and a smoke. It reminds me of the wonder in people.

Just snapshots ... thats all these are mere snapshots into what i see on a day to day basis. But the last two months have been different. I havent been to have coffee and a smoke. I havent had the time to indulge in trying to make what little changes I can to people lives. So many of the things that gave me joy in my job have been put to the side. And why? because of ONE tenant.

This tenant is one whom I had intially met because of a ministerial over 2 years ago

A ministerial is when a complaint or letter is made to a member of parliament. They then send us a copy of the complaints and expect a full response to all of their associated questions. A straight forward ministerial might take a couple of hours to investigate, others may take 8 hours to investigate

His ministerial was about the allegation that there was maintainence work to be done and that he had been the victim of harrassment from his previous tenancy manager
I visited and things were soothed and he was happy. At the time of the visit i did notice however that there was an excessive amount of scrap and metal etc around the property. We discussed this briefly and he was to "Clear it up" six months or so later i visited. Nothing had changed it was a mess! then i saw inside the house it was a mess too. We again talked about how they were going to improve the conditions and i went away with an assurance things would be cleared up by the time i next returned....Fastforward to a couple of months ago... I visited and still nothing had been improved so I finally issued a breach to the tenants which gives them 10 days to remedy the issue or face tribunal action ( termination/workorder/what have you)
2 weeks later I revisit and the house has at least been cleaned up inside. The outside has had some progress but is still a world away from looking like a suburban yard.
 skip forward - A ministerial is the response for my attempts to get him to clean up the yard... he retailiates that we have to do all this work on the property that his families health is suffering its health and safety etc etc... fast forward ... a second ministerial, an application by him to the tenancy tribunal for a work order and coompensation from us a third ministerial.... So by now I have had an additional 100+ man hours being wasted by this tenant on top of my usual 40 hour week.

As a side line we have an investigations unit that investigates fraud in relation to income related rents. This tenant was referred to them in 2006 and 2008 because previous tenancy managers belived he was working and not declaring the income. His family has over this time paid between 80-130 a week in rent. On both of those occassions the investigation was cancelled for insufficient evidence. ( in those days there was a reliance on the tenant to provide requested information as the unit had limited ability to obtain information directly)

So in the course of answering some of the questions that the ministers had raised I Googled the tenant OMG so begineth the end... The information I gathered I passed to investigations who have obtained bank records etc... over the last four years the business the tenant insists didnt exist has bought in over 400,000 - not bad for an unemployed person. Fast forward to now....
The man who has consumed so much of my work time and a good many hours of the personal ones, the person who has made me feel emotionally battered has finally admitted to running the business. He faces 7-8 charges of fraud. His family will lose the home and will incure a large ($60,000 plus) debt. He will likely face jail being that he has prior fraud charges... He will also face charges from the tax department and the companies office.... and I am currently working from another office - in hiding... This man has the potential to go berserk.. he has the mentality to justify anything in his own mind.

So thats just a snap shot into my work life....It can have ups and downs. It is an emotional roller coaster seing heartbreak and pain and poverty and greed and death and crime and cruelty.

I do have high hopes for man kind that if each of us tries to be the best that we can be that there is hope  that our kids can grow up in a better place. I do see some of the worst that society has to offer and some of the small glimpses that show anyone can change... it just takes effort.  And i have the pleasure of touching so many lives and being touched by them in turn.... time for me to get out and have a coffee and a smoke... just as soon as my crazed gun owning fraudster is out of the way.

And I thank my family for always being there to support me on the downs and celebrate the ups