In June, when Housing Minister Chris Bishop launched 30 social housing apartments inside Dunedin’s revamped Loan and Mercantile building, he said he "could not be more impressed".
More developments like it would follow, he said.
Now, some tenants claim the dream has become more like a nightmare. Their apartments line a moodily lit, first-floor corridor that has the appearance of an expensive, upmarket hotel but the complaining tenants say they feel unsafe opening their doors at night.
Simon* and Kathryn* both complained about the Suzanne Lund Community Loft Apartments in separate emails to Salvation Army Social Housing (Sash), which runs the project.
The emails allege some tenants have suffered intimidation and violence from other tenants.
Simon’s email talks about an alleged incident on October 29 when he says a car, driven by a tenant, was reversed towards Simon and another tenant standing outside the apartments. The car "nearly took out kneecaps", one source said.
Simon also alleged he did not get support he needed from Sash when he complained about this and other things, so he left the building and sought support from other charities.
In an email to Sash territorial director Greg Foster, he said: "Thanks for your fairy tale rehousing at Willis St. I’ve been driven out of my home."
Another email to Mr Foster, sent in support of Simon by another charity’s social worker, references Simon receiving a payment from Sash and a request not to speak to the ODT.
Two other tenants - Bob* and Rose* - talked to the ODT and corroborated complaints laid out in Simon’s and Kathryn’s emails. They said they also felt scared.
The tenants’ emails, and the comments made to the ODT, also include complaints about the Sash tenancy manager Natasha Durst, alleging she failed to address the safety concerns and engaged in unprofessional behaviour.
Kathryn’s email to Mr Foster said: "For this to be a fair and safe process for everyone I firmly believe Natasha should be stood down until these issues have been resolved."
Impressive start
The apartments, mostly one-bedroom units, are owned by property developer Russell Lund, who converted a floor of the historic building for the Sash-run social housing.
Mr Lund also built hotel accommodation on the floor above, accessed through a different door. Both floors are fitted out to similarly high standards.
Mr Bishop’s department, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has leased the social housing apartments for 15 years and contracts Sash as a community housing provider (CHP) to run the project, including paying Ms Durst’s salary and other associated costs.
One Sash task is to select tenants from the government’s social housing waiting list. Some tenants are understood to have traumatic life histories. Some have complex life challenges such as addiction, mental illness and disability, requiring help from social services.
Both Ms Durst and her boss, Sash national tenancy operations manager Jasmine Herewini, were interviewed by the ODT when the apartments opened. They explained their job was to create a community, not provide social services.
They acknowledged people in their building did need social services and that some social services in the city were under pressure.
Ms Herewini described the tenancy manager role as being "mama bear for the whānau" and Ms Durst said her relationship with tenants included "deep" conversations.
Ms Herewini intimated tough love, too.
"Our whānau know Sash didn’t come down with the last rain shower."
The setup is different from the approach at HomeGround in central Auckland, which is run by Auckland City Mission.
Both projects offer people who are in need of a home an inner-city apartment on a permanent tenancy agreement. However, at HomeGround, residents get key workers who help co-ordinate access to social services. There is an on-site GP practice and addiction withdrawal facilities. There is a security team.
The Dunedin apartment building was opened only with Ms Durst in her tenancy manager role, working office hours.
Backlash
On November 1, Simon - the tenant who left the building - had emailed Ms Durst asking about any "outcome" following a Sash investigation into the car incident and another incident.
Ms Herewini replied, saying "since I was last down there, my understanding is the behaviour has escalated even more and it seems to be a small hand few [sic] involved".
The reversing incident was "serious", she said.
"Those involved have been spoken to. There is no excuse for the behaviour they displayed with regards to their vehicle and steps are being taken."
She did not say what steps, nor identify a procedure being followed.
She was talking with tenants "before any solid decision can be made by me".
She then turned the tables.
"I have statements from tenants who have advised me you instigate, you bully and you intimidate other tenants and then we have your claims that it is them."
Simon claims it is not true. He had asked in his email: "In the interim, what safety measures have been put in place to ensure tenants and myself are safe from more intimidating behaviour?"
Ms Herewini did not list safety measures undertaken by the charity. She told Simon not to engage if bullied and to call the police if necessary. She would be in Dunedin two weeks later "if you wish to meet".
The ODT has seen three notices served against Simon by Sash during the last week of October.
Two notices - from Ms Herewini - claim Simon engaged in antisocial behaviour by making "threatening comments" to Ms Durst and Ms Herewini.
He allegedly told Ms Durst she should "do her job properly" and he was "going to the higher-ups and you’ll see".
He allegedly texted someone that "this isn’t the Tash [Natasha] and Jasmine show, watch what happens."
Simon said the comments were about a plan to complain about the apartments’ tenancy management to the boss of Sash.
The third notice said he had been smoking in his apartment, which is banned. Simon said hedid not.
The ODT has seen one of the tenancy contracts Sash has issued to an apartment tenant. It has a clause explaining a law - Sash can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal for an order to end a tenancy for antisocial behaviour if it has happened on three occasions, within 90 days.
The 90-day period and the Tenancy Tribunal are mentioned in the notices sent by Sash.
Simon decided to leave, moved into a hotel and, helped by other charities, took his complaint to Sash senior management.
Money and quiet
Simon wrote to Sash director Greg Foster on November 10 saying he was "disgusted in the way this has been handled and the duration it’s taken to get an answer of what is actually happening" and had left due to feeling unsafe.
He complained about Ms Durst’s professionalism, including a concern about her inviting tenants back to her home for small parties. Two other tenants corroborated this claim to the ODT.
Simon wrote: "Your tenancy manager has crossed the line so far she can’t see the line."
A Presbyterian Support Otago (PSO) social worker wrote to Mr Foster saying she was "concerned that [Simon’s] welfare and wellbeing are not being prioritised".
The social worker called for an "impartial and transparent review process" and asked that Simon be "financially compensated", including for costs getting rehoused.
The next day Mr Foster replied, saying the charity was taking the situation at the apartments "very seriously" and an additional part-time worker had been brought in. A review would happen within two weeks that was expected to identify "tenant and staffing issues".
The reply did not mention Simon receiving money. However, an email sent on November 12 by the PSO social worker to Mr Foster, which is also the day Simon wrote to Sash ending his tenancy formally, said: "We will need to continue to liaise regarding the $2000 payment and collection of [Simon’s] belongings. As requested, [Simon] will not ... talk to the ODT."
In response to questions from the ODT, the Salvation Army said it had never paid a tenant to leave a tenancy but might at times offer "assistance to tenants" and typically asked for details of an ended tenancy to be kept confidential.
In response to questions about Sash employee behaviour, the charity said it was committed to the "ongoing training of our staff who sometimes deal with complicated circumstances". Complaints about staff were "matters for the Salvation Army to work through with those parties".
Corroborating voices
Kathryn, the other tenant who wrote to Mr Foster, said in her letter she had been grateful for her "beautiful" apartment but felt unsafe due to "incidents of violence and aggression".
Bob, one of the tenants who spoke to the ODT, said he had been attacked and threatened in the building and rarely left his apartment.
He had not complained to Sash because he had health problems.
"I’m in enough of a state as it is. I don’t need the stress.
"There needs to be better help managing the people here ... I blame the Salvation Army for not putting the right people in charge. There have been so many issues here it’s not funny."
Rose, who spoke to the ODT, said there had been fights at the building, resulting in police callouts.
"One time it was like something out of a movie. It is easy to say we have cameras, but they don’t stop people getting hurt. I would have thought, after all the problems here, there would at least be security."
A worker at a nearby factory claimed police were regularly at the building.
The social sector says
Two Dunedin social service workers from other charities spoke to the ODT on the basis of anonymity - Dunedin is small. They were asked for their thoughts on the Sash-run apartments being overseen only by a tenancy manager.
One said: "That’s like putting fireworks in a tinderbox. It’s going to go off."
The other said: "If you are going to pull people together with challenges and put them in a communal space you are going to need more than a tenancy manager to keep things balanced and facing forwards and nine times out of 10 a command-and-control approach will not be successful."
Salvation Army response
Questions about all the points raised were forwarded to the Salvation Army.
Allegations against Ms Durst were not responded to.
The charity acknowledged "some start-up challenges".
"Experience shows that the transition into a new housing complex can present challenges for some tenants and staff as people get to know each other and adjust to a new environment and processes".
The charity said feedback from some tenants was they "love the complex and feel supported. However, some tenants have raised issues".
Internal and external reviews were under way and the charity was engaging with community partners "to gather input and feedback".
"These reviews will be used to refine our processes to improve tenant experience, as tenant safety and wellbeing is our priority."
Concerns raised had either been acted on or were "being carefully addressed".
The Salvation Army was "in the process of reviewing its staffing levels".
An additional part-time staff member had been brought in to work at the building "and we will look to increase staffing further if necessary".
"Our staff are dedicated to our mission of caring for all people and delivering quality housing and support to those most in need."
Mr Lund said he still had full confidence in the Salvation Army and stressed he and the charity remained committed to making the project a success.
The Salvation Army had told him it would take time to get a "community of people ... It is not for everybody living in this way and it has not been tried before".
"I have every confidence that we will get this all sorted."
He added that, as far as he knew, there had been few incidents and the Salvation Army "deserves plaudits, not criticism".
*All tenant names have been changed to protect the vulnerable.
