A crime-ridden and anti-social Melbourne rooming house has been shut down by the state government amid escalating complaints about residents.
Housing Minister Martin Foley said there had been an unacceptable level of anti-social behaviour in and around the Regal rooming house in Little Grey St, St Kilda.
The state government will fund Port Phillip Housing Association's application to close the notorious boarding house "pretty much straight away".
"The level of unsocial activities that have been emanating in and around the rooming house has been an issue I have been working on for some months now with the community, with Victoria Police and the housing provider," Mr Foley told reporters on Thursday.
Mr Foley said there were 48 shared units for men at the rooming house with about 24 still housing tenants despite efforts to shut the facility in the past few months.
He said $6 million would fund its closure and a complete refit to include 37 self-contained units for "older women".
The existing male tenants will be relocated to other housing.
The shutdown follows the 2017 fate of the nearby notorious Gatwick rooming house, home to some of Melbourne's neediest residents, but also the scene of several murders drug overdoses.
Problems surrounding Little Grey Street have attracted heightened attention after Melbourne radio personality Kate Langbroek was involved in a confrontation with a man outside her St Kilda home last Friday.
Langbroek was putting her children to bed on Friday night when alerted to a man allegedly trying to get into her babysitter's car.
Langbroek said crime was rising in St Kilda, with some streets a "hell hole" for residents.
"They're having stuff thrown at them. There's drug dealing blatantly in the street. There's a trail of zombies going up there to get their drugs or whatever," she said.
Police said a man had been charged over the incident and would face court in May.
Australian Associated Press
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