Homeless people gathering and rummaging through donation bins in Ringwood after dark

A part of Ringwood is being turned into a mess with squatters causing chaos — and it only got worse during COVID.

A Ringwood charity store has had squatters raiding its bins and rummaging through donations overnight.

Desperate squatters are rummaging through donations left outside a Ringwood charity store after dark, which has also had its carpark littered with alcohol cans and needles.

And staff are doing almost daily clean-ups of the mess when they open in the morning.

A staff member, who declined to be named, said the overnight rummaging of donations and delivered stock had been rife for years and increased during Melbourne’s lockdown when retail shops were closed.

The staff member said there had also been previous occasions when the store’s donation bins had been destroyed.

“In between times (outside of store hours), it’s a free-for-all down there,” she said.

“But its not just the homeless, its everyday people who will do it too.”

“If people did the right thing and didn’t dump things overnight, that would eliminate the problem.”

The staff member said needles and empty alcohol cans had also been previously scattered through the carpark.

“We haven’t had any needles around here for a while now which has been awesome, but booze bottles you’ll find them everywhere through the carpark and the gardens,” she said.

“It’s not just us though, you’ll find that all around Ringwood.”

The staff member said the store had also tried to help those struggling by contacting police and homeless support services.

They said the store previously allowed a homeless man to erect a tent in the carpark because he “had nowhere to go”.

“We were a bit worried about him and we were calling around homeless shelters and places, but there’s nothing in the eastern suburbs,” they said.

“It happened a year or two ago, but he still floats around.”

Ringwood police Sergeant Jarrod Exton said he hadn’t had any recent complaints involving squatters outside charity stores since he had started in the area in July.

But Sgt Exton said he would ask night shift officers to do patrols and speak with stores to discuss any issues.

Leader has previously reported on squatters gathering outside entrances at Ringwood Square Shopping Centre, which has been plagued by atmosphere and anti-social behaviour issues.

Evidence has also been found of squatters sleeping rough under the Ringwood Gateway Bridge near The Coach pub.