Nathan Stafford, lawn guru and helper of Aussie battlers, has brought to light the issues of a public housing home gone to disarray. Photo: Facebook
A public housing property has descended into a fire hazard, with a viral video posted by gardener Nathan Stafford slamming the state housing authority as concerns for the owner escalate.
Nathan Stafford, the man behind Nathan’s Lawns and Gardens, regularly cleans up public spaces and helps struggling Aussies with their lawns, gardens and homes.
A recent video he posted of a Sydney public housing front yard choked with rubbish and broken furniture that was spilling out onto the street has left him seething.
The clip shows a front yard of a brick double-storey apartment in Sydney’s inner city full of broken furniture, tents, umbrellas, old suitcases, cords, broken bikes and many other items spilling out onto the streets of Glebe.
In the video, Mr Stafford said years of complaints from neighbours and himself to Housing NSW had gone unresolved, with fire authorities now confirming the property is classified as a fire risk.
Nathan Stafford’s video shows the state of the home in Glebe. Photo: Facebook.
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Mr Stafford said he first came in contact with the property years ago, when the neighbour requested his services to help clean up her home after contents from next-door began overflowing into her yard.
“She was afraid of the lady living here,” he said.
“I came out and cleaned it up a few times … I understand that there’s mental health and hoarding issues here, but now it’s all out on the street and it’s been like this for quite some time.”
Mr Stafford said the local council was good at cleaning up when the rubbish had fallen onto the streets, but said Housing NSW needed to “get in here and help this lady out.”
“I’ve looked after many of these properties over the years because I like to help these people out because they’re struggling, and that’s saving Housing a lot of money,” he said.
Mr Stafford noted he’d spoken to the Minister of Housing a few years ago who at the time agreed they needed to do better.
Nathan Stafford regularly helps struggling Aussies clean up their lawns, yards and homes – but a public housing situation in Glebe has left him frustrated.
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“In the last two and a half years do you reckon you’ve done a good job? Come on, when you come out here what are you having a cup of coffee and a bickie?,” Mr Stafford said.
On the video, Mr Stafford also wrote in the caption: “everyone has a right to their opinion and as someone that has spent hours out in Glebe over the years giving my time and free labour to cleaning up many yards and inside houses to help people struggling then I have a right to express my concern and frustration in basically broken promises from the Minister of Housing.”
In a statement to News Corp Australia, Homes NSW and Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson confirmed they had been actively working with the tenant in Glebe since May 2024.
“We recognise the severity of the situation, which is why the matter is subject to current orders from the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT),” she said in the statement.
“However, more recent outreach attempts have been rejected, which makes our job very difficult.”
Homes NSW described hoarding as among the most complex issues for a landlord to face.
“I want to assure people, Homes NSW has the funding and the resourcing required to manage situations like this, but the reality is hoarding is one of the most challenging issues to navigate as the state’s largest landlord,” Ms Jackson said.
“There is a strong link between mental health issues and housing insecurity. Our approach is always to work with tenants – sometimes for months or even years – to resolve situations like this because the alternative could mean sending a vulnerable person into homelessness.
“I respect Nathan’s passion for these issues and I appreciate it when he gets in touch with me.”
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