Caulfield South family ‘at a loss what to do’ as ‘scary’ halfway house incidents escalate

A Caulfield South family are “at a loss what to do” over escalating violence at a neighbouring short-stay property aimed at helping the vulnerable to get back on their feet.

Monique says violence and “scary” incidents at the halfway house have become much more frequent since COVID-19 hit, and she fears for the safety of her family.

“The residents change weekly, if not daily, and over the last six months, I think, during COVID, there has been a greater turnover of residents,” she told Tony Jones, filling in for Neil Mitchell.

“There’s conflicts between the residents. We’ve had people knock on our door … because they’re scared for their lives.

“They’ve thrown a brick through windows … We had a resident that had a crossbow. We’ve had fires lit in the backyard.”

Monique calls police at least once a week about incidents at the halfway house, but says there’s nothing they can do.

“The council won’t listen, they just keep telling us it’s a police matter. The police say they can’t do anything, it’s a council matter,” she said.

“I commend the program, I think it’s fantastic, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’m concerned to leave my children at home.”

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