Remote community visitors set up with a Safer Place to Gather campsite in Adelaide parklands

A state sponsored program is providing a “safer” space for remote community visitors sleeping rough on the city streets of Adelaide.

A “safer” camping area set up by the state government on the outskirts of the Adelaide CBD has become the go to place for remote community visitors sleeping rough on the city streets.

Established by the Department of Human Services (DHS) last year, a Safer Place to Gather (SPTG) was designed to stop people from sleeping in the backstreets and on the sidewalks around the CBD.

Situated at Edwards Park near the corner of Anzac Highway and Greenhill Rd, SPTG has a number of marquee shelters where people can erect their tents, with health and wellbeing services visiting daily.

Warlpiri man from Wilora in the Northern Territory, Bruce Leo is one of about 30 people staying or living “full-time” at the campsite at any given time.

Bruce Leo lives in a tent at the Safer Place to Gather campsite at Edwards Park. Picture: Supplied

The "men's camp" area at the Safer Place to Gather campsite at Edwards Park. Picture: Supplied

Mr Leo told the Advertiser that people were often escaping family-violence in their home communities and that there was nothing for them to go back to.

“There’s no jobs in my community,” he said.

“People come here to get away from family fighting and arguments and they don’t go back home.”

He said people found themselves drinking alcohol daily at SPTG and that he often encouraged people who were drinking in the CBD to go to the SPTG where it was “safer” to do so.

“I bring families here from (the) city at night time, and I bring them here to this camp because they (are) drinking all night in the city,” he said.

“I tell them, come, let’s go back to the park where it’s warm.”

During the week, drug and alcohol, emergency, homelessness and primary healthcare services visit regularly to provide people with assistance.

Aboriginal Partnerships Director for the DHS, Alex Reid told the Advertiser that it was for people’s own “safety” to have a designated place for them to set up camp.

“People will camp in other parts of the city and certainly were doing that when this wasn’t available to them,” she said.

Alex Reid is the executive director for Community and Aboriginal Partnerships with the Department of Human Services. Picture: Supplied

A fire pit and sleeping equipment near one of the shelters provided to people sleeping rough at the Safer Places to Gather campsite. Picture: Supplied

“They were doing that in isolation, so they were doing that without the support or services wrapping around them and were doing that without the presence of a known security presence onsite.”

SPTG provides a 24/7 security presence and was an collaborated initiative between the DHS, SA Police and the City of Adelaide.

There is also a Return to Country Program attached to the STPG, which transports people back to their communities.

Minister for Human Services, Nat Cook said the SPTG was the state government’s “broader response” to supporting the “safety and wellbeing” of Indigenous people visiting from remote areas.

“The response also includes assertive outreach, assistance to access appropriate healthcare and Return to Country,” she said.

“Specialist outreach services bridge that gap by taking government and non-government support out to where people are located.

“SPTG helps by doing that in a centralised location, which is a place specifically for remote visitors.”

The City of Adelaide has extended the Parklands Licence Agreement for Edwards Park for a further 12 months until February 2025, to allow the STPG initiative to continue.