Anglicare to build $13m Beenleigh crisis housing for youth as tent cities grow

A southside community grappling with more than three tent cities has been earmarked for a new $13 million facility to house 30 homeless youth.

Tent campsites have grown up near Beenleigh Marketplace and at Hugh Muntz Park in Beenleigh. Pictures: Contributed

A southside community grappling with more than three “tent cities” has been earmarked for a new $13 million facility to house over 30 homeless youth.

The 30-bed centre, to be built on vacant land in Beenleigh, would be solely for people aged between 16 and 25 who either were homeless or at significant risk of homelessness.

It would be built near a tent city which has sprung up in a local park and near a derelict nursing home, now demolished, that had been used by the homeless.

The Anglicare centre was granted development approval this month.

It would be staffed around the clock and include 24 studio apartments and six one-bedroom units for couples or small families.

It would be the only youth crisis care centre in Queensland to offer integrated support services for youth, as well as independent living and the second in Australia.

Anglicare Southern Queensland chief executive Sue Cooke said Beenleigh was chosen as the South Brisbane-Logan corridor had a significant shortage of crisis accommodation for young people facing homelessness.

Ms Cooke said data from the Queensland Housing Coalition showed almost 11 per cent of Queensland’s total homeless young people lived between Logan and Beaudesert.

Anglicare will use this vacant block of land in Manila St, Beenleigh, to build crisis housing for youth. Picture: Contributed

She said 30 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in the Logan catchment were aged between 12 and 24, compared to 24 per cent across the state.

“It’s close to public amenities including shopping centres, business and civic centres, a local sports centre, public green spaces, and has convenient access to public transport,” Ms Cooke said.

“In addition to accommodation, residents will also receive a suite of wrap-around support services to help improve life skills and increase independence, while providing the care and connections these young people need, through a case planned process.

“We know that with stable housing and the right support network, young people can positively change their life trajectory by securing employment, education and longterm housing.”

Last year, Anglicare reported providing 46,511 hours of support for women and young people experiencing homelessness at its specialised services in Beenleigh, Cleveland and Mt Gravatt.

Construction was due to commence before Christmas with the units completed by the end of next year.

In January, developers bulldozed the former Beenleigh Nursing Home in York St after homeless people were using the derelict buildings and facilities next to the local primary school. The site is yet to be repurposed.

In January, the state government bought a 124-unit former AVEO retirement village at nearby Tanah Merah to be used as social housing for people of all ages.

Beenleigh resident Troy Lawton, who lives in housing commission units, said homelessness was growing in his suburb’s parks with tents becoming “permanent fixtures” in places including Hugh Muntz Park on Reisers Rd and in the park near Big W at the Beenleigh Marketplace.

Homeless people are using this Beenleigh park to erect tents for accommodation. Picture: Judith Kerr

Mr Lawton was speaking out after police were called to his units last year when a tenant allegedly had a gun on site.

“Thirty units by the end of next year is not enough to solve this issue, which is compounding day by day because nothing is being done,” Mr Lawton said.

“Since Christmas the number of tents in Hugh Muntz Park has probably doubled and the government needs to be looking at how it allocates accommodation.

“In my complex, there is a young woman in her twenties who was allocated a one-bedroom unit – now her mother, father and brother are also in that unit – the homelessness is out of control in Beenleigh.”

“In our complex, some tenants have totally destroyed the units given to them and it is ridiculous the lengths the Department of Housing has to go through the courts and QCAT to get drug users evicted.

An artist’s impression of the youth crisis accommodation in Beenleigh.

“We have had drug users in this complex that took the department nearly a year to get evicted, while decent hardworking people and youths are trying desperately to keep a roof over their heads as the rents are so out of reach for low-income families.”

Anglicare Southern Queensland is one of Queensland’s most trusted community services and health care organisations.

Founded in 1870 as the Brisbane Women and Infants Refuge, it has grown into an inclusive and diverse not-for-profit charity delivering a broad range of services, including aged care, foster care, homelessness support and mental health and family counselling.

More than 50,000 Queenslanders are helped by Anglicare Southern Queensland every year.