A lack of homeless refuges on the Coast has resulted in the death of 61 people

A lack of resources to help the Coast’s homeless has been blamed for the death of 61 people living on the streets. This shocking statistic will rise unless adequate helps becomes available.

THE death of a homeless baby which was found on Surfers Paradise Beach has put the spotlight on the tragic lives of the homeless on the Gold Coast and the Tweed.

For years, charities have been repeatedly warning there are not enough refuges on the Gold Coast and none on the Tweed to cope with the rising tide of homeless people.

Memorial scene of where a homeless baby washed up at Surfers Paradise Beach. Pics Adam Head

John Lee, founder of You Have a Friend at the Tweed, said 61 homeless adults had died on local streets and he warned there would be more if urgent action was not taken to tackle the homelessness crisis.

BABY DEATH: MOTHER WENT FROM BARMAID TO HOMELESS

“We have absolutely no accommodation for our homeless on the Tweed, including at Murwillumbah, South Tweed, Tweed Heads and out to Mount Warning,” he said.

“The situation is dire.”

A makeshift campsite on the beach at Surfers Paradise hidden from view from the walkway behind bushes next to Sydney Hamilton park where it is believed homeless people reside. picture Glenn Hampson

Rev Jon Brook, of St John’s Crisis Centre at Surfers Paradise, said reliable sources had told him there were three stabbings of homeless people last week.

While he did not have statistics about deaths, he said the majority of the homeless died from alcohol and drug-related causes.

“Two of our regular homeless clients died in January this year and both deaths were linked to alcohol and drug abuse,” he said.

THE HOPE AMONG THE COAST’S HOMELESS CRISIS

“Some of our older people have died of natural causes such as cancer or heart attacks, but these were probably also premature deaths as a result of living rough.”

Rev Brook called on the community to petition politicians to urgently provide more accommodation for the city’s destitute.

Mr Lee, who has worked with the homeless for the past 17 years and founded his charity 10 years ago, said he was saddened but not surprised by the death of the baby of homeless parents.

The conditions in which our City's’s homeless survive. A homeless lair that is an old underground carpark in the basement of an abandoned building on corner of Markwell Ave and Gold coast high way. Picture Mike Batterham

He said the tragedy highlighted the critical shortage of accommodation for the destitute, particularly on the Tweed.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data show that between 2011 and 2016, the number of people on the Tweed who identify as homeless rose from 308 to 444 — a 44 per cent increase.

The number of homeless people in NSW overall increased by 37 per cent, rising from 28,191 in 2011 to 37,715 in 2016 — compared to a nationwide rise of 14 per cent.

Mr Lee said deaths among the homeless adults he saw, who were aged between 28 and 70, were not uncommon on the Tweed.

COAST CHILDREN THE UNSEEN VICTIMS OF THE HOMELESS CRISIS

He believed the average life expectancy of the people on the streets was five years. Causes of death were untreated infections such as pneumonia, suicide and drug overdoses.

“They just give up on life. It is very, very sad,” he said.

He cited the case of a homeless man who recently went for a swim at a Jack Evans Boat Harbour on a Friday afternoon.

The conditions in which our City's’s homeless survive. A homeless lair that is an old underground carpark in the basement of an abandoned building on corner of Markwell Ave and Gold coast high way. Picture Mike Batterham

“When he came out of the water, he tried to hang himself from a shelter — in front of everyone,” he said.

“Fortunately, there were some other homeless guys around, who lifted him up and saved him, but he hung there for a while.

“There were police cars and ambos on the scene but I couldn’t get any information from them — or the hospital — because I wasn’t a relative,” he said.

“The plight of our homeless is hidden and no one wants to talk about it.

“We have other groups working here with the homeless, such as the Salvos, Agape and Fred’s Place but there is no crisis accommodation on the Tweed.

“Fred’s Place is the only drop-in centre — open Mondays to Thursdays — where the homeless can sit, have a shower and wash their clothes, but they have to be out by 4pm.”

NSW Police Public Order and Riot Squad members search the banks of the Tweed River, Monday, November 26, 2018. Police are searching for evidence in relation to the death of a nine-month-old baby who washed up on Surfers Paradise beach last week. (AAP Image/Tim Marsden)

Mr Lee said he was receiving calls from locals about homeless people sleeping near the Boat Harbour, along the Tweed River, after they were moved on from a camp at Duranbah.

“These residents say they have never seen so many homeless people there. I know they will be moved on when the rich people start complaining.”

He said 70 per cent of Tweed’s homeless were men and the majority of the remaining 30 per cent were older women — another worrying trend which has been highlighted by other services in recent months.