Aussie tent cities becoming 'violent' and 'unsettled' as council steps in: 'Serious escalation'
As the nation continues to grapple with a devastating housing crisis, rough sleepers in Brisbane have copped another blow.
A local council has been forced to take action against "anti-social behaviour" in two well-known and populated "tent cities" as the nation continues to grapple with a devastating housing crisis and rising homelessness.
Reports of violence and disruption have emerged in recent months at both Musgrave Park and Kurilpa Point Park in Brisbane where dozens of rough sleepers reside. Allegations of stabbings, fires, and vandalism have prompted Brisbane City Council to step in by reportedly turning off the power in the parks to ensure safety.
Paul Slater, who runs the Northwest Community Group and manages the makeshift "tent city" in Musgrave Park, in Brisbane's south, said he's noticed a dramatic increase in people needing help and previously told Yahoo he's struggling to keep up with the enormous demand for his services in the area.
"It's clear to me we're in an emergency situation," he told Yahoo. "I've got people calling me multiple times per day, sleeping on concrete with nowhere to go, no emergency accommodation."
He's said people living in tents are often targeted, it's something that occupants in "tent cities" have widely reported.
"These guys in tents are constantly having to deal with people that don't even live around the area. They just come into their tent areas and cause problems," he said.
Increase of fires and violence in tent cities
Micah Projects CEO Karyn Walsh, a not-for-profit organisation in Brisbane, agreed the homeless camps have been “unsettled” over the past month. She said, there's "certainly been an increase in fires and there’s certainly violence".
"It happens regularly when you get that tense build-up," she told The Courier Mail.
"People are also very mindful of the potential for violence, I mean that’s the nature of when you’ve got groups of people living in tents in public spaces. I think at the moment, things do seem a bit unsettled."
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Councillor Sarah Hutton agreed, telling the publication that authorities are seriously concerned about the incidents which have been reported.
"We’re genuinely concerned about the serious escalation of violence and anti-social behaviour in these encampments, including alleged stabbings, fires and vandalism of electric barbecues, and have switched off the power for safety reasons," Ms Hutton said.
Previously, Brisbane City Council was forced to shut down claims it had ignited an "anti-homeless campaign" after a resident discovered a "speaker blasting obnoxious sounds to prevent people from sleeping" on benches in the area.
Council has also been accused of mistreating rough sleepers with allegations it had been regularly throwing out their tents and belongings.
Desperate plea to help find a solution to growing problem
A 2023 report by Queensland Council of Social Services (QCOSS) and The Town of Nowhere campaign revealed the number of homeless people in Queensland had jumped 22 per cent in the previous five years — almost triple the national increase.
Speaking to Yahoo in December, Vicki Howard, central ward Brisbane councillor, said it was "heartbreaking people are being forced to sleep in tents, cars and in insecure accomodation as a result of the housing crisis and the State Government’s chronic under-investment in social housing".
"Tents aren’t a solution to the housing crisis," she lamented.
In Queensland, there's a two-and-a-half-year wait to get on the social housing register, with some 25,000 people in the queue — and that figure is worse in other states. In NSW for example, there's a mind-blowing 60,000 people waiting for government homes.
Walsh said a "co-ordinated response" from all relevant stakeholders, including council, is the only way to manage the campsite and provide a safe place for those struggling to reside.
“BCC (Brisbane City Council) are a part of the solution, as well as state government and community agencies," she said.
"We just need to work together in trying to resolve it so that not too many people are sleeping there, if any. Living in a tent in a park is no way for anyone to live."
Yahoo News Australia contacted Brisbane City Council for comment.
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