Eight months on, more than 30 people have been found better homes, including eight children and an elderly couple, but another 10 children remain on the estate.

Residents overwhelmingly agree it is not a place for children, describing it as the Bronx of the Illawarra, and one man, who has been in prison, described it as "worse than jail".

Mr Borger admitted he would not want his children exposed to the violence but fell short of committing to moving all the children from the estate.

In a new statement, he said it was not necessary to relocate tenants at this time, but added that as properties became vacant they were being allocated sensitively.

He said that as improvements were made, Warrawong would prove an ideal location for families given its proximity to services.

But single dad Russell Palmer, a Todd St resident, said real difference to the mix of residents would take years.

He keeps a clean house, pays his bills and does everything he can to prevent his children from being exposed to the mayhem and violence outside.