Illegal squatters take over Sydney social housing units

Illegal squatters have been taking over empty units and laundries in a privately run Sydney social housing complex, with the NSW housing minister admitting managing the issue was "not easy".

Tenants of the social housing block in Redfern, in inner Sydney, said they had made repeated complaints about squatters breaking in, leaving syringes in common areas and urinating in the stairwells.

The apartment block is run by St George Community Housing (SGCH), which received almost $44 million in revenue from the NSW government last financial year to run social housing complexes across the state.

Social housing tenant Jeremy, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, has lived in the building for two and a half years.

He pays $580 in rent a fortnight, and has called the police several times to have squatters removed, but he said they continued to come back.

"You see syringes everywhere, it's unbelievable."

'Confidence in current approach'

The ABC has visited the Redfern property on two occasions and seen four different men that Jeremy identified as squatters.

The security door at the front of the building has an intercom system installed, but the lock has been broken and can be pushed open.

"Anyone can come in," Jeremy said.

"[St George Community Housing] fix it … and they still break in."

In April, a squatter had set up their home inside a storage room meant to be available to all residents.

The room had just two small air vents on one side and was filled with bedding, clothing and other possessions indicative of someone who had been staying there for some time.

Another common area, undercover but otherwise open to the elements, was being used by a squatter for sleeping and drug taking, Jeremy said.

When the ABC returned in May, both spaces had been cleared out by police and boarded up by SGCH, but two other squatters were seen hiding on the building grounds.

A unit in the building has also been boarded up after a squatter broke in while the tenant was away in hospital.

Homes NSW, which contracts organisations such as SGCH to manage social housing, said responsibility for repairs and safety lies with the housing provider.

"The safety and wellbeing of residents in any social housing property is paramount," a Homes NSW spokesman said.

"Incidents of anti-social or criminal activity, including unauthorised occupants, are managed by the social housing provider responsible for managing the properties."

Social housing waiting list nears 70,000

The NSW government funds a $6.6 billion program to tackle homelessness and provide social and affordable housing, with some of that money going to private organisations such as SGCH, which operates 7,000 homes.

As of April, there were 69,051 people on the NSW social housing waiting list, with a two-to-five-year wait time for a one bedroom place in Sydney's inner city, or up to 10 years for a two-bedroom property.

At the same time, the NSW government said the number of people sleeping rough has risen by 5 per cent over the past year, with 2,308 people recorded in 2026.

Jeremy said there had been times when empty rooms in his Redfern building were being used by illegal squatters.

"That makes me angry."

"I used to be homeless. I wanted a place and there are empty places here and people squat in them.

"A situation like that in Australia … it shouldn't be in Australia at all."

Housing Minister Rose Jackson said in a statement she was aware of the issue, and said SGCH was dealing with it in a sensitive manner.

"Managing an issue like that is not easy, it requires collaboration with residents and other agencies, including NSW Police," she said.

"It also requires sensitivity as many people experiencing housing instability are also dealing with mental health concerns or drug and alcohol problems."

A spokeswoman for SGCH said the apartment block was in an area with a "long and complex" history of challenges and it was working within the confines of the law to manage it.

"But we are present, we are working closely with residents and police, and we are focused on building a connected community."

Ms Jackson said she believed SGCH would resolve the issue.

''We have confidence in their current approach but we won't hesitate to hold them accountable if these serious issues are not resolved," she said.

Ms Jackson said if squatters chose to engage with authorities once removed from the property, they would be referred to homelessness services that would assist them into appropriate temporary accommodation.