A homeless tent city in a picturesque suburb has caused outrage among some locals, with some claiming it has led to an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour.
Some irate locals have been petitioning Moreton Bay Regional Council and the state government to remove homeless people from Woody Point, a coastal suburb of Moreton Bay.
Of particular concern is the Gayundah Coastal Arboretum, a park located on the foreshores of the Redcliffe Peninsula.
The park looks out over Moreton Bay to Moreton Island.
The Facebook page of the Woody Point Action Group is littered with slurs against homeless people, lambasting them as “pigs” among other derogatory names.
One anonymous person wrote: “Crime has increased, anti-social behaviour has increased, residents are fearful being out in the dark, the only time you see the police these days is at a coffee shop. Woody Point is fast becoming unliveable.”
Another resident described it as “criminal”.
“I keep on saying sadly I believe there will be a fatality before all levels of government step up and support these people into housing or camping at a more suitable location... return public land to all of the community.”
Another claimed more people are illegally camping by the day, describing the situation as “out of control” and arguing the public was “at risk”.
But homeless people have hit back saying they are being harrased too.
A young woman, Tamieka Brittnee, told the ABC she had been pelted with eggs and called “scum” and a “filthy animal” by people passing her tent in Woody Point.
“I’ve never had a real life like everyone else,” Ms Brittnee said.
“I was brutally, brutally attacked to the point where I feel monstrous inside because of what’s happened to me.
“It feels like it runs through my blood; I’ve been treated so badly by the whole community, whoever’s around me.”
Ms Brittnee said she had been applying for housing but had yet to receive an approval.
Michelle Gilchrist, the chairman of the Breakfast Club Redcliffe, a charity which provides food for the homeless in the area told news.com.au that the housing situation was “very bad”.
“At the moment all emergency housing is full so there is nowhere for people to go who are seeking emergency housing, there is nowhere to move them onto,” she said.
“It is being built but it is still a while away.”
Ms Gilchrist said homeless people were getting “pushed to the bottom” in the housing crisis and not given any other alternative but to make encampments.
“It is not ideal, and there is a lot of community fatigue – on both sides,” she said, saying the lack of affordable housing issue had been building for years.
A City of Moreton Bay spokesperson said that Council was taking a holistic approach and working closely with other levels of government and community organisations to improve outcomes for people experiencing housing issues and homelessness in Moreton Bay.
“Over the last decade, homelessness in City of Moreton Bay has increased by more than 90 per cent, and this includes rising numbers of people with no option but to sleep rough in public spaces,” a spokesperson said.
“We know that this is a tough situation and Council is seeking to take a balanced approach to maintaining amenity for all, while compassionately responding to people sleeping rough.
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“The complex nature of homelessness requires a unified and holistic response across all levels of government, alongside the crucial work by the community and homelessness service sectors.”
According to the 2021 Census, there were 1,424 homeless people in the Moreton Bay local government, a a 92.4 per cent increase in reported homelessness over thelast decade.
Do you know more? - carla.mascarenhas@news.com.au
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