Qld housing crisis: Tent city springs up in Steven Miles’s electorate

A tent city has sprung up in the Premier’s own electorate, with up to 30 working Queenslanders and young families living behind a service station. And they had one request for Steven Miles.

• Editor’s view: Can’t let kids grow up like this

Premier Steven Miles has declared he will visit a tent city in his electorate “as soon I can” after it was revealed working Queenslanders were sleeping in a park as the state’s housing crisis escalates.

The Courier-Mail revealed the makeshift community had steadily grown in the last 12 months and is just 8km from Steven Miles’s electorate office in Kallangur, north of Brisbane.

It has up to 30 working Queenslanders and young families living behind a service station in what has become the new face of the cost-of-living crisis.

Residents in the makeshift community had told The Courier-Mail the Premier had never stopped by to have a look at the problem, and they wanted Mr Miles to visit and listen to their tales of how hard it is to find permanent accommodation in booming Queensland.

The Premier told Parliament on Tuesday he was “incredibly concerned” to hear of people sleeping rough in his own electorate but insisted the critical response team from the government’s Housing Department had visited the community a number of times.

Homeless living in Mckillop Park, Rothwell, part of the Premier’s electorate. Picture: Liam Kidston

He said sleeping rough in a park was “certainly no place for children to live”.

“They attended the site as recently as yesterday and will visit again today,” Mr Miles said on Tuesday.

“I understand some people have accepted emergency housing. Others have declined.

“I am committed to visiting as soon as I can, alongside our hardworking critical response team.

“I want to hear their stories and deliver the support needed to get these vulnerable Queenslanders back on their feet.”

The Premier insisted Labor MP Chris Whiting, whose electorate office is across the road from the park, had visited the community.

“Chris has been incredibly engaged on this matter and his office has provided daily support to these vulnerable Queenslanders,” Mr Miles said.

The tent city sits behind a 7-11 and fast food outlets on a main road deep in suburban Brisbane.

On Monday up to 30 people were staying in tents on Morris Rd on the edge of Mr Miles’s Murrumba electorate, including families with children and infants whose only access to water is from a nearby public toilet with one male and one female cubicle.

The tent city represents the quick spread of homelessness across Brisbane during the cost of living crisis, expanding the problem beyond the inner-city parks where the population has traditionally found solace.

Homeless in Mckillop Park, Rothwell. Picture: Liam Kidston

A spokeswoman for Moreton Bay Council said homelessness had increased over the last decade resulting in a rising number of people left with no option but to “sleep rough in public spaces”.

She said social housing had not kept pace with living pressures and too much onus had fallen on local councils to deal with rapid growing homelessness.

“Council is aware of a number of areas across the city, where people experiencing homelessness have gathered, including this site in Rothwell,” she said.

“The social housing system has not kept pace with the pressure that’s being put on it, and that pressure has increased locally.

Mckillop Park, Rothwell. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Although the remit of the state government is to provide social housing and crisis accommodation, the role of local government has grown in wake of the current housing and cost-of-living crises.”

Moreton Bay has launched an initiative to waive development fees and infrastructure charges in fifteen suburbs for affordable and social housing, and recently invested $3.7 million towards homelessness service hubs at Oxley Avenue and Redcliffe.

While the council applauded the state government’s new long-term housing plan, it said more local support was needed.

“This is a crisis and needs immediate solutions. We would call on the State Government to address the current shortfall of crisis and transitional accommodation for people experiencing, and/or at-risk of, homelessness within Moreton Bay as an urgent priority,” the spokeswoman said.

Rochelle Sneddon and David Stephenson with daughter Paisley-May, six months. Picture: Liam Kidston

Rochelle Sneddon is on maternity leave from her job with the state government and said she had been advised to approach her local member – Mr Miles – for help as she juggles homelessness with caring for six-month-old Paisley-May.

“I don’t even know if that’s gonna work … I’m at a loss for words, to me it’s like they have no care … people judge us in this situation but it’s the government leaving people on the street,” she said.

“I’ve applied for so many houses it’s not funny.”

Ms Sneddon – a mother of five who lived in Caboolture until rising rents locked her out of the market – stays in the tent community during the day with the father of her children, who has to live there with the pair’s dogs.

She pays a $659 a week contribution to her crisis accommodation, based on her income. The children’s father, David Stephenson, said Ms Sneddon’s situation was symptomatic of the changing face of the cost-of-living crisis.

“She’s got enough income, it’s a secure government job she’s been at for seven years, but then competing with 100 people and some can put down 12 months’ rent,” he said.

“It’s literally how these people are driving up costs of rentals and people in the middle now can’t afford to get into a house.”

One frustrated community member who regularly visits the tent city to help is Nikki McAlister who said she has tried to contact Mr Miles’s office when she realised the area was in his electorate last week.

Joval Bennet with three of her children Legion, 7, Jahzariah, 8, and Venetia, 20. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Where is he? This is his area, I’ve been trying to get a hold of Steven Miles since my first call last Thursday,” she said.

“We can’t even get someone to pick up the phone, meet the people, hear their stories, show them that you actually care.”

She said MP Chris Whiting had helped her secure housing after her own experience of homelessness and his office had been in contact with people residing in the park on the border of Mr Miles’s electorate of Murrumba and Mr Whiting’s electorate of Bancroft.

When approached about the community and claims they had not been able to contact his office, the premier said he was “incredibly concerned to hear about people who may be homeless in my electorate”.

“It’s why I am making sure that housing service providers have visited the area and provided support to those impacted,” he said.

It is understood the Housing Department’s Critical Response Team were in the area two weeks ago and engaged with four individuals, who at that stage weren’t interested in emergency accommodation.

The CRT attended again on Monday after The Courier-Mail contacted Mr Miles’s office and engaged with seven adults. One accepted accommodation and the department is expected to continue working with others onsite on accommodation options.

Zane McGill was the first to begin sleeping rough in the park. Picture: Liam Kidston

Zane McGill – who is the first person who began sleeping rough 12 months ago – said if he had the chance he would ask the Premier: “What’s going on? Why are there so many empty houses?”

“But they’re claiming there’s a housing crisis, I know for a fact there’s at least two or three vacant homes up behind here,” he said.

Mr McGill said he lost his job in 2022 after a major operation before going back to work full time in food processing but was still unable to secure a private rental before his health problems returned.

Rebecca Kyle was discharged from hospital on Monday morning after major bladder surgery and said she was attempting to contact Mr Miles herself to prevent being released back to the tent city where she has been rough sleeping for eight months.

“That was last week, no contact unfortunately and I’m stressed out big time, the toilets only get cleaned out once a day so I told the girls to get me a bucket and cleaning products so I can go clean the toilet out and make sure I don’t get any infections,” she said.

Mr Miles said his government was working to end homelessness, which is why it was a key pillar of the Homes for Queenslanders plan.

“I heard directly from homelessness service providers that they wanted more funding to deliver better wrap around services.

“We have listened and my government has delivered $390 million in extra funding.”

Rebecca Kyle is another of the homeless living in Mckillop Park. Picture: Liam Kidston