Homeless moved on from Brisbane park, slugged $360 per week

Homeless people moved on from a Brisbane park to make way for an annual festival have been slugged hundreds for crisis accommodation.

Homeless people forced out of Brisbane’s Musgrave Park to make way for the Paniyiri Greek Festival were charged up to $360 a week for state-government-organised crisis accommodation.

The shocking revelation comes as safety concerns were raised over boarding houses being used for accommodation, with one man saying he felt safer sleeping on the streets.

Brisbane-based homeless support provider Micah Projects chief executive Karyn Walsh said boarding houses were often run by private operators who charged large fees.

“A lot of people do not like the option and for various reasons – they don’t feel safe, it takes quite a lot of their income, they are not supported houses,” Ms Walsh said.

When The Courier-Mail presented the issues to new Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon, she said it was an expectation accommodation providers were meeting their obligations and if they weren’t they should be reported.

“I want to see issues like this resolved, and I’ll be meeting with providers from across Queensland over coming weeks to see what more we can do,” she said in a written statement.

Michael Rose has lived on the streets since January and was one of about 50 homeless moved from Musgrave Park to alternative accomodation ahead of the festival. He was told to pay $360 a week.

In comparison, realestate.com.au lists several studio apartments for similar prices – or cheaper – with the cheapest being 97 Alfred St, Fortitude Valley, which has options $230 to $300 a week available from June 7.

One of Brisbane’s most expensive suburbs, New Farm, also contained one of the city’s cheapest apartments – a boutique studio at 120 Terrace St listed at $250 a week available now.

Mr Rose said the conditions at the boarding house were so dire he and his sister chose to return to the street.

“It was run down, there were heaps of people in there, junkies, threatening to kill each other or put each other in a boot,” he said.

Michael Rose with his tent in Musgrave Park, South Brisbane. Picture: Richard Walker

“You can’t have visitors which makes it hard for my sister.

“She has a 10-year-old daughter who she was not allowed to have there, which is half the reason we left.

“It’s worse than the park actually, but you get to shower.”

Another woman told The Courier-Mail she left the boarding house she was placed in before the Greek festival because of the horrible conditions.

Ms Walsh confirmed some homeless were being put in boarding houses as there was no other option available.

“Boarding houses are not the preferred option for many people but they are the only option following rough sleeping often,” Ms Walsh said.

“It is definitely a substandard option and they are shared bathrooms, people find that pretty challenging.”

Ms Walsh said privately run boarding houses often had an in-house manager. She said no food was provided.

“There’s no support, people management, they don't have much money left,” she said.

Ms Walsh said boarding houses needed to be considered in the future plan for housing.

Ms Scanlon said the government provided funding to organisations like Micah to help people doing it tough.

“A lot of work has been done by the department and providers recently to help at-risk people in inner-Brisbane, including helping more than 50 people who were living in Musgrave Park find alternative accommodation,” Ms Scanlon said.

“Of course, we want to see people move from emergency accommodation to long-term housing as soon as possible whether that’s in social and affordable homes, or private tenancy.”

While some were moved ahead of the festival, others stayed in the designated areas at Musgrave Park.

Ben Sheppard, who stayed at the park, said organisers provided two free passes, a $60 voucher and some drink vouchers for water and soft drinks.

“The organisers were really good about it,” he said.

“It was actually pretty good, the food had lots of flavour. It was very filling.

“The first day I stuffed my guts with one gyros.”