An urgent roundtable will be held in a Sunshine Coast town today after almost 30 rough-sleeping sites were identified in local parks and growing safety concerns were raised by the community.
Minister for Housing Sam O’Connor and Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli will be joined by other government representatives, support services, health officials and police for talks at the old council headquarters in Nambour.
It comes after a petition started by local resident Helen Tagg, which has more than 1500 signatures, called for immediate action on homelessness and to “make our parks and public spaces safe again”.
Mr O’Connor said the meeting would be crucial.
“It’s bringing everyone together to figure out a clearer plan, to resolve what is a crisis that Nambour hasn’t seen before,” he told Sunshine Coast News.
He said short- and long-term solutions were being activated and considered.
“Our role is to engage with as many (homeless) people as possible, get our outreach teams out there and get as many people as we can onto a housing pathway, and address the barriers that stop people from getting onto those pathways.”
He said a site had been earmarked by council for potential social and affordable housing and there could be a drop-in day centre, which he described as “a missing piece in the local response” to support homeless people.
Mr O’Connor joined Cr Natoli, local MP Marty Hunt and Councillor David Law on a walk around the area last week. He said there were 29 homeless sites in the town, mainly at Petrie, Quota and Apex parks.
“The feedback we’ve been given is that they (locals) haven’t seen these sorts of numbers before,” he said.
“The scale is what’s made it something that needed to be raised at this high level and why we’re taking quick action.”
He said locals deserved to use public places without fear or disruption.
“These are spaces for everyone and we want to make sure the community feels safe,” he said.
“The police have a role in the safety side of things. Last week, I heard they were doing wanding activities to search for weapons, and it’s important to get them out there as a deterrent effect as well.”
The meeting comes after Ms Tagg’s petition caught the attention of locals and authorities.
She told SCN why she called for action.
“When the council pulled our BushCare team out of the parks because of safety concerns, it was a real wake-up call. Our parks aren’t safe, and we couldn’t just keep talking about it,” she said.
“We’ve seen huge build-ups of rubbish, environmental damage and people openly dealing and using drugs. Violence, intimidation, thefts and vandalism have all become far too common.
“Our council has shown compassion toward people doing it tough but we also need stronger protections for our parks and vulnerable populations like children. We can do both – help people and keep the community safe.
“I hope the council and government see how much our community needs support and work with us to achieve safer parks, better services for those in need and a community we can all be proud of.”
She said she would like to see a “hub” for the homeless.
“Somewhere safe with clean hygiene facilities and all the wraparound supports in one place. It’s about giving people dignity, a sense of security and a real chance to get back on their feet, while also easing the pressure on our parks and public spaces.”
Mr Hunt said there was an influx of homeless people in Nambour, partly because of reported moves to crack down on homeless people in parks in other South-East Queensland council jurisdictions.
“The situation locally has escalated quickly,” he said.
“I am told there are over 90 people sleeping rough in our local parks, which is around triple the number we have averaged over recent months.
“We are seeing higher visibility of rough sleeping in our parks and CBD, along with associated safety and amenity issues.”
He said outreach teams now visited Nambour twice a week to connect homeless people with housing, and he said community safety was his “top priority”.
He said a $3 million Nambour CBD Police Beat was expected to open within months, along with CCTV upgrades in public spaces.
Cr Law presented Ms Tagg’s petition to Mr O’Connor and he said he would table it at a council meeting on Thursday, August 21.
“I will continue working for the whole of the Nambour community until our parks are being used by children and families as they should be, and the most vulnerable have safe accommodation with the support services they need,” he said.
Meanwhile, the council directed SCN to its previous comments about addressing homelessness.
In May a spokesperson outlined strategies – including “enforcement” when necessary – for homeless people who stay overnight in public areas.
The spokesperson said council officers work closely with state government services to link people with options for housing and support and assist to escalate support for people at high risk, such as children and people leaving domestic violence situations; provide information and directions to persons who are camping illegally; and take enforcement action as a last resort.
“Where the issue relates to anti-social or unlawful behaviour, such as drug use or theft, the Queensland Police Service is contacted as these matters fall under their jurisdiction,” they said.
Temporary campsites have emerged around the region, including at Nambour, where a fire broke out early this year.
SCN was told last year that council “does not consider people experiencing homelessness to be camping”, amid reports of people sleeping at a Bli Bli car park.
Federal MP for Fairfax Ted O’Brien was contacted for comment.
If you are experiencing homelessness or domestic and family violence you can call: Housing Service Centre phone (07) 5352 7333 Homeless Hotline phone 1800 474 753 DVConnect phone 1800 811 811. The online Sunshine Coast Housing and Homelessness Directory contains details for organisations that are providing services to people experiencing homelessness.
