A STINK so pungent it has forced a resident to sleep in their car, visitors at all hours and fears for their personal safety so intense they have caused health concerns.
These are among the conditions that residents of a Lambton unit block less than two years old say they are facing, sparking pleas for Homes NSW to help them or move them.
The Robinson Avenue complex was finished at the end of 2024 with state government funding, transforming five old homes into a modern 20-unit complex.
Residents say they began raising concerns with Homes NSW six months later, including cockroach infestations and constant police visits.
While they say some issues have improved since the Newcastle Herald covered the problems earlier this year, other problems remain. Some residents say it is like "living in hell".
One resident said they had regularly been left sleep deprived by loud music and yelling through the night for the past eight months.
They said they had been left feeling unsafe and unable to leave their home due to threats of violence, intimidation, unwanted visitors and the presence of used needles and drug paraphernalia.
In one incident, the woman said a neighbour's relative arrived at the complex yelling, before allegedly brandishing a knife and demanding the woman come outside.
She said the confrontation prompted three triple-zero calls from residents, and a lights-and-sirens police response.
In emails sent to Homes NSW and seen by the Newcastle Herald, the resident described living in fear.
"I'm scared and shaking and here on my own," she said.
"I was too frightened to leave my house tonight to visit my dad. I rang him crying because I wasn't able to leave.
"I'm a mother and a nan and my girls need me, and I need them, and they can't even visit. I want out.
"All I want is to be able to have my granddaughters here safely, securely and quiet."
Homes NSW has not substantiated the claims regarding drug use, but the resident says the stress of the situation has taken its toll on her health. She had been suffering unexplained fainting episodes, for which she was undergoing hospital tests, and flare-ups of a chronic pain condition.
"This is months of hell," she said.
"I'm literally at the end of my tether. I am exhausted and deflated. I'm utterly exhausted beyond belief."
She said she had repeatedly asked Homes NSW to relocate her to standalone housing, but had been told no such properties were available.
In response to correspondence on the matter from Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery, Minister for Housing Rose Jackson acknowledged the impact of persistent disturbances on tenants managing complex health issues.
She said Homes NSW had been working with NSW Police, who confirmed multiple callouts to the neighbouring property, but noted there was insufficient evidence to support any further action.
Ms Jackson said a further investigation into antisocial behaviour had been carried out, and that any retaliatory behaviour towards complaining residents would be treated as a breach of tenancy obligations.
Other concerns among residents at the complex include unhygienic conditions, with one resident's doctor citing the odour of animal waste as beyond the pale.
In a letter from that resident's doctor to Homes NSW, the medical practitioner outlined the "serious impact" the living conditions were having on the resident's "mental health, wellbeing and daily functioning".
The doctor described the conditions as unsanitary and distressing, noting that their patient had "increasingly isolated themselves".
"The resident increasingly reports symptoms of anxiety, stress, affective lability, mood disturbance, reduced sleep, and feelings of hopelessness associated with being trapped in an environment he no longer perceives as appropriate or healthy," the doctor says.
The letter described the smell as "overpowering and disgraceful", and said it was permeating into the resident's unit and bedroom from elsewhere in the complex.
The resident had resorted to sleeping in their car to escape the stench, the doctor's letter said.
The resident said they were fed up with seeking help from Homes NSW.
Homes NSW confirmed it had received complaints about property care at a particular unit and had worked with the tenant to resolve issues.
Measures undertaken included a professional deep clean and ongoing work to support the tenant in maintaining their home, the department said.
A Homes NSW spokesperson said the department took complaints about antisocial behaviour seriously.
"Where tenants or their visitors threaten the safety of other residents, we will take action," they said.
"We have already terminated tenancies at this complex and are taking further action at the tribunal following recent investigations.
"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes, and our staff remain in regular contact with residents, including undertaking weekly visits to the complex to ensure common areas are maintained to a clean, safe and habitable standard."
Homes NSW confirmed a meeting with residents occurred the day after the Newcastle Herald made contact regarding tenants' concerns.
"The most recent visit was yesterday (July 15, 2026) where residents were able to discuss their concerns with staff and were updated on the current action being taken," the spokesperson said.
"Homes NSW has not received any reports from tenants of drug paraphernalia, and there were no signs of such items, or rubbish or pests during the recent inspection.
"If drug paraphernalia is reported at the complex our team will issue an immediate work order for the safe removal of sharps and rubbish."
