‘They just shut all the doors on you’: Homeless man’s devastation after makeshift campsite cleared by council

A Gold Coast dad is questioning council’s approach to homelessness after his campsite was cleared and dog impounded months after he was forced onto the street by the rental crisis. This is his story.

A struggling homeless man living out of his car says he’s been left devastated after council cleared his campsite, removing an estimated $2,000 worth of belongings and impounding his dog.

Brendon Keith had been living in the Lower Beechmont Nature Reserve for six months after being forced out of rental accommodation due to rising costs.

The Gold Coast man claims authorities damaged his tent and removed his possessions in the weeks leading up to Christmas, leaving the rest of his belongings out in the open and exposed to the rain. He said he was not given proper notice until after his property was seized.

“To come home and see that devastation, it’s another setback I didn’t need,” Mr Keith said.

“Being homeless or unable to rent, they just shut all the doors on you.”

The City of Gold Coast denied destroying any property.

They said the campsite was deemed abandoned and was cleared in accordance with local laws prohibiting camping in the reserve.

Mr Keith’s dog at his Lower Beechmont Nature Reserve camp before it was cleared by Council.

Cost of living crisis hits hard

Mr Keith’s descent into homelessness began mid-2023 after skyrocketing rental costs and bills left him in significant debt.

The single father in his 50s, who was previously sharing custody of his teenage daughter, said he was forced to live off-grid when his landlord raised his rent by more than $100 a week.

Already struggling to make ends meet, the increase tipped him into financial distress.

“I was supporting a place for myself where half to three-quarters of my wage was going to rent and bills to keep everything going,” Mr Keith said.

“Over that time I had to scrape and look for other ways to pay for stuff … I accumulated roughly $20,000 debt.”

The full-time manufacturer said after his daughter turned 18, he made the difficult decision to have her live full-time with her mother while he focused on fixing his financial situation.

Determined to pay off his debts, he decided to eliminate his biggest expense – rent – and bought a tent along with gear to make him self-sufficient, setting up camp at the Lower Beechmont Nature Reserve.

For six months, Mr Keith said he kept to himself and worked full-time, managing to pay off $13,000 of the $20,000 he owed.

“I deliberately chose a spot out of the way so I wouldn’t bother anyone,” he said. “There were no signs saying no camping, just no dogs or fires, so I thought it would be okay.

“The sign says it’s for the people of the Gold Coast, bought for the people to use.”

A devastating blow

Mr Keith – who set up cameras at the site for “safety” – alleges council workers entered the reserve in early December to survey the area but did not leave any notices.

He claims they returned two days later with police officers, issued an abandoned property notice while he was at work and impounded his tent, possessions and dog, while leaving other belongings “destroyed” and exposed to the rain.

Tents at Mr Keith’s camp set-up at the Lower Beechmont Nature Reserve before it was cleared by council.

Items at Mr Keith’s camp.

Mr Keith claims expensive personal belongings – including night vision goggles, binoculars, tarpaulins, hanging fans, camping lights and a GoPro – were taken, while other belongings were “left out in the rain with no cover,” and “containers all dumped out”.

“They slashed the whole bottom of (the tent) at floor level and all tie downs were sliced, the whole tent sides and roof with heavy duty tarpaulins and camo netting were peeled off and taken … leaving only the floor,” he said.

Mr Keith said he returned from work on Wednesday 11 December to find his tent and shelter removed and belongings left “out in the rain”. Picture: Supplied.

He said he would have “worn a fine” for having his dog onsite but questioned why no notice was left earlier.

“The notice said I had 48 hours to remove my property but they didn’t give me that before they took my stuff – it’s wrong.”

In a statement, a Gold Coast City Council spokesperson denied that any of Mr Keith’s belongings were destroyed.

“After receiving information about the camp, City officers visited the site and no one was present. They returned two days later and the site was still unattended and appeared unchanged. As such, the abandoned property notice was issued,” the statement read.

The spokesperson added that as per Council procedures, the notice informed the owner that all of the high-value items including video cameras, the tent and other equipment had been impounded for “safe keeping” and could be collected at their convenience.

“If the owner had been onsite at either inspection he would have been engaged and referred to appropriate services if he was experiencing homelessness. As he was not there, information on how to link with such services was left onsite,” they said.

“As the dog was not registered it was not identifiable and as it was not permitted to be in a nature reserve, it was impounded. Officers left the message to ensure the owner knew the dog was safe and where to collect it from.”

Council left an abandoned property notice and a note that Mr Keith’s dog was at a pound. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Keith said his tent was “cut” when council worked to clear the site. Council has denied damaging any property. Picture: supplied.

Council said attaching camera devices to vegetation was not permitted.

“You can’t just attach cameras to vegetation which could capture members of the public using the space,” the City spokesperson wrote.

“As you can appreciate, we don’t signpost every single piece of public land on the Gold Coast to say you can’t camp there. There is no campground there, which means you can’t just camp there.”

A fight for compassion

Brendon Keith is now living in his car in Paradise Point. Picture: Annette Dew.

Mr Keith is now living in his car and storing his damaged belongings in a friend’s garage. He has retrieved his dog but has yet to collect the rest of his possessions.

He said council’s approach lacked compassion and understanding of the reality of homelessness.

“Now I’m going through all my stuff, working out what’s rain damaged, and doing trips to the dump with what I can’t salvage,” he said.

“They (homeless people) are always being kicked out and moved on.

“There has to be some communication … and they need to know that people are in a tough situation.

“I can’t just leave my dog – apart from my daughter, he’s really the only thing I’ve got.

“They need to understand people don’t have options.”

Originally published as ‘They just shut all the doors on you’: Homeless man’s devastation after makeshift campsite cleared by council