The discovery of a rough sleeper’s body in bushland in Brisbane’s north has renewed calls for urgent action on the city’s homelessness crisis.
Andy Parker, 48, was found dead in dense bushland at Chermside on Sunday as police investigated a dog attack in a nearby park.
Real estate agent Ajay Malik was mauled while jogging along a bike path in the park on Friday night. The woman who owned the dogs involved had been living in a tent there.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr Parker’s death. He was known to sleep rough in bushland beside the Westfield shopping centre, where makeshift camps have been established.
Beau Haywood, founder of homeless support group Nourish Street Inc, said the number of people seeking help had risen sharply in recent months as housing became less affordable and available.
“What we’re experiencing out there at the moment, our run around Moreton Bay has jumped from 70 people to 230 people in a space of nine-and-a-half months,” he said.
“The same in Brisbane CBD. Nine-and-a-half months ago we had about 70 people on our outreach. Now we’re averaging between 200 to 300 people.”
Mr Haywood said his organisation was struggling to meet demand despite volunteers continuing to visit the same outreach locations.
“It’s the affordability and the availability of rentals, that’s the main factor, and lack of support for people,” he said.
“We are really under the pump with what we do here. We’re struggling to keep up with the demand, and the demand is increasing.”
Mr Haywood said he believed he may have known Mr Parker through his outreach work and had spoken to the man’s family.
“I know that the family are really devastated upon hearing this news, and it’s sad to see that this is happening out there,” he said.
“Since I’ve been doing this, I’ve known about seven people that have died that have been experiencing homelessness, and it’s really, really devastating.
“A lot of these (deaths) could have been prevented if we’d had the right supports behind these people.”
Calls for more housing and crisis accommodation
Mr Haywood said removing tents from parks could force people further into bushland, making it harder for support services to reach them.
“Unfortunately this is what happens when we move people on from park to park to park without giving them anywhere available to stay,” he said.
“We end up with people who end up going deep into the bush and they lose contact with services that could otherwise be helping them.”
Brisbane mayor Adrian Schrinner said the council would work with police on an appropriate outcome following the dog attack. He also called on the state government to investigate crisis accommodation for people experiencing homelessness who have pets.
“We don’t want to see people living in parks simply because they have a pet when there could be a home for them, there could accommodation for them,” he said.
“If that is indeed the case here, there needs to be an appropriate response where there’s a solution for people that have animals.”
Last month, Moreton Bay City Council designated Wyllie Park in Petrie as a homeless camping area. The decision followed criticism of the demolition of a homeless camp at Eddie Hyland Park in Lawnton the previous year.
In March, the council was found guilty in the Supreme Court of violating the human rights of homeless campers after they were given one hour to leave before authorities began removing their tents and belongings.
Mr Haywood said the earlier action had damaged the community, but described the Wyllie Park arrangement as a step in the right direction because it provided access to toilets, showers and other facilities.
However, Economic Development Queensland has threatened legal action against Moreton Bay Council, arguing that homeless people were being allowed to camp illegally at the public park.
“I think they really need to put pressure on state and federal government to get more funding for social and affordable housing, we need more houses built and we need them built fast,” Mr Haywood said.
“Something like Wyllie Park was definitely thinking outside the square. I think it was a good start. (But) it’s not a perfect answer.”
He said that if the site was closed, authorities needed to provide alternative accommodation for those who had nowhere to sleep.
