Shop owners and operators in a Sunshine Coast town have expressed their dismay after a string of troubling incidents in the area.
Traders along Price Street at Nambour say property has been vandalised, customers harassed and garbage bins taken and dumped.
They believe a group, or groups, of homeless people are to blame.
Nambour Print Centre’s Peter Rosendale, who owns a building next to the train line, said his store’s back landing and steps were ripped up for firewood and his shop has been sprayed with graffiti. He said there was regular commotion from displaced people who stay in the area.
“Every second customer who comes into my business comments about the situation,” he said.
“There is a mob of people (camped nearby) who have no toilets or showers and they leave a hell of a mess for others to clean up.
“It’s gone on for that long.
“I’m sympathetic to genuine people who are homeless, but when it comes to this group …”
Mr Rosendale said customers were being harassed and families were afraid to spend time in the nearby park.
“Council just spent a fortune on setting up an area with seats and lights there, but people tell me they don’t go there because they’re scared to.”
He has started a petition for local businesses to submit to council in an appeal for help.
Bridgestone Select Tyre and Auto Nambour manager Michael Morgan posted a video of piles of rubbish dumped in a garden bed behind the business.
He said the shop’s garbage bins were regularly taken and emptied, and he said customers were yelled at.
“I feel sorry for homeless people but not these people because they go through our bins and put rubbish everywhere, they steal stuff, they put mess around the creek and they harass our customers, and everyone turns a blind eye to it,” he said.
“It’s like a commune down there. The police are there every couple of days and the council said they can’t move them on, so the businesses around here put up with it.”
He said his staff regularly “go looking” for the shop’s wheelie bins.
“Sometimes they’re submerged in the creek,” he said.
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“And they harass our customers. If customers leave their car down the street and walk along the footpath they are yelled at and abused quite often.
“Wagner (the smash repairs business across the road) staff have had to walk with scared customers to the main street.”
A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said officers often attended the area.
“Police conduct regular patrols of areas where rough sleepers are known to frequent, to manage any anti-social behaviour and proactively engage with vulnerable people to put them in touch with relevant support agencies for assistance,” they said.
MP for Nicklin Marty Hunt said two new initiatives should help curb anti-social behaviour in the town.
“I am committed to making Nambour a safer place for families, businesses and visitors,” he said.
“That’s why we (the state government) are delivering a permanent Police Beat in Nambour and installing CCTV to enhance safety and provide a visible police presence in the Nambour CBD.”
He said homelessness in Nambour was “deeply concerning”.
“It reflects a growing challenge that communities across our region are facing.
“Rising living costs, a tight rental market and economic pressures are making it increasingly difficult for vulnerable individuals and families to find stable housing.
“Addressing homelessness requires a coordinated effort across all levels of government.”
Mr Hunt said the Securing Our Housing Foundations plan was expected to deliver 53,500 social and community homes across the state by 2044.
Nambour Chamber of Commerce chairman Mark Bray said a Police Beat and CCTV monitoring should help address anti-social activities.
“I hope that, by having that presence, these sorts of behaviours may stop happening,” he said.
“They (the initiatives) will give business owners and locals some heart.
“For a long time, they have been feeling that they have been ignored … (but) that announcement by Marty is a real positive for the town.”
Council workers cleaned up the mess behind Bridgestone.
A council spokesperson said the area is “part of our ongoing maintenance and monitoring schedule”.
Council also highlighted its updated Housing and Homelessness Action Plan, which includes key activities to improve the housing response.
They include developing underutilised and surplus council land/buildings for affordable housing; considering opportunities for more diverse housing types across the region; establishing development incentives for affordable housing; finding innovative solutions to provide shelter and connection to services; and advocating for the provision of safe spaces to access amenities.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
