Tent city resident’s message to Steven Miles as true extent of Qld’s horror housing, homeless crisis revealed

A makeshift tent community has popped up amid the housing crisis. The area is home to about 20 people, including young children.

A man living in a makeshift tent community in the heart of Steven Miles’ own electorate has revealed the true extent of Queensland’s homeless and housing crisis as department staff scramble to find safe accommodation for some of the young families sleeping rough.

Zane McGill was the first to start living in a tent in Mckillop Park in Rothwell, north of Brisbane, about 12 months ago when he lost his accommodation from a combination of health issues.

Ironically, the park is located in Mr Miles’ electorate of Murrumba and about 8km from his office in Kallangur.

It’s also directly across the road from the head office of Chris Whiting, the MP for the neighbouring electorate of Bancroft.

About 20 people now live in the makeshift tent community, some even with young children.

Zane McGill with his cat TahZan outside his tent at Mckillop Park in Rothwell, where he has lived for the past 12 months. The makeshift tent community is located in Queensland Premier Steven Miles’ own electorate of Murrumba. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

Department of Housing staff speak to tent city residents who have revealed their frustration in trying to raise their issues of not being able to secure accommodation with the state government. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

Heightened media attention has led Department of Housing staff to intervene and find accommodation for some of the young families, along with a promise from Mr Miles to visit many of the families.

Mr McGill told NCA NewsWire that he began living rough after a ruptured abscess put him in hospital.

His Centrelink payments only started coming through again six weeks after he was discharged – by which point the owner of the private rental Mr McGill was living in said he did not want to renew the lease.

Department of Housing staff have visited the park this week, with some residents being offered support through crisis accommodation and social housing. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

“My boss wasn’t willing to let me go back to work because it was the second major operation I’d had on my bowels within nine months of each other,” Mr McGill said.

“The one thing most people don’t understand is we might be homeless, but we’re not bums.

“We are people. We’ve been put in a difficult situation that I don’t think most genuine people would be able to deal with if they weren’t prepared for it.”

Mr McGill has lived in the park for the past 12 months, eventually being joined by other families who found themselves in similar circumstances.

Mr McGill says he has been able to put down money for rental properties but claims owners are not willing to progress with any of his applications. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

Jovel Bennett is another person who has found herself living in the park with her family for the past three weeks. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

Most spoke of similar rental plights where they had the capital to put down a deposit but were simply unable to secure a lease.

The recent media attention prompted Mr Miles to pledge to visit the tent community, revealing in parliament members of the housing department’s critical response team (CRT) had already visited “a number of times in the last month” offering emergency housing.

“I firmly believe every person deserves a safe place to call home,” Mr Miles told parliament this week.

“I am incredibly concerned to hear of people sleeping rough in my electorate of Murrumba. A tent is no place to live and certainly no place for children to live.

“I am committed to visiting as soon as I can … I want to hear their stories and deliver the supports needed to get these vulnerable Queenslanders back on their feet.”

Mr Miles said Mr Whiting’s office across the road from the park had been “incredibly” engaged in providing support for the residents.

Steven Miles told parliament he planned to visit residents living in the park, promising to hear their stories and try to deliver support. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

The plight of the residents received widespread media attention after it was revealed families with young children were being forced to sleep rough. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

But Mr McGill claims he feels let down after struggling to invite the MPs to come and meet residents in the park.

He now has one message for the Premier: “Stay for a week.”

“Live the life that we’ve had,” Mr McGill said.

“Get cut off at the end of the day. Have no money, no friends, no food, no accommodation, no way of getting a place and have to stay here for a week and start off the same way we have.”

He pleaded for help from the government while praising the work from the local community.

“I’ve literally sat and blubbered to myself a few times coming home to find donations that have been given to me by people I don’t even know and I haven’t even met because they’ve been left at my door,” Mr McGill said.

“So I don’t even know who to thank for it.

Mr McGill has one simple message for the Premier: ‘Live the life that we’ve had.’ Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

It’s understood several residents are considering housing options put on the table by the housing department. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

“Yet you’ve got politicians earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year that can’t even make time to come and visit.”

Mr McGill urged politicians to make time to do what needed to be done for their constituents, calling the housing crisis the “No.1 concern” in Queensland.

“I mean, we’ve got families living in cars and tents and stuff just because we’re getting kicked out of houses. The rent prices are going through the roof,” he said.

“They’ve got to pay attention to the little people because at the end of the day, the big people might be the ones that bring in all the dollars but the little people are the ones that make society work.”

It’s understood Mr Miles’ office was in touch with one person earlier in the week regarding the tent community.

Members of the housing department’s CRT were in the area two weeks ago and engaged with four people, who at that stage weren’t interested in emergency accommodation.

It’s understood one person accepted accommodation during another CRT visit this week.

Several others are also understood to be considering housing options, including social and crisis accommodation being put on the table by the housing department.

Earlier this year the state government announced it was aiming to build another 53,500 social homes by 2046, adding to some $6bn in housing investments.

“Backed in by a down payment towards this target of $1.25bn of additional funds, this adds to the $6bn investment in social and affordable housing our government has committed to,” a Queensland government statement reads.

“The state will also continue to partner with the federal government to secure funding to deliver on this ambitious target, including through the Social Housing Accelerator and ensuring Queensland gets its fair share under the Housing Australia Future Fund.”

In January, the national vacancy rate returned to a record low of 0.8 per cent.

Brisbane’s rate began to decline from 1.3 per cent in late 2021 when international borders were reopened, reaching a record low of 0.6 per cent from May to October 2022.

January’s decline was attributed to a drop in vacant rentals and a rise in average views per rental listing, according to Domain.

A new report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare into homelessness rates in 2021 found 39 per cent of people experiencing homelessness were living in “severely” crowded dwellings.

Originally published as Tent city resident’s message to Steven Miles as true extent of Qld’s horror housing, homeless crisis revealed