‘If winds get above 80km/h, it will become unsafe to move’: Fears for city’s rough sleepers

Charities in the potential path of Cyclone Alfred are urging councils to open evacuation centres for rough sleepers, warning thousands of lives could be at risk as the weather worsens.

Northwest Community Group founder Paul Slater said he made several attempts on Monday to contact Brisbane City Council for advice on evacuation centres but was yet to receive clear information.

Northwest Community Group founder Paul Slater is urging Brisbane City Council to open evacuation centres for the city’s homeless population as Cyclone Alfred approaches.Credit: Courtney Kruk

“We’re trying to find out where these guys should be going,” Slater said.

“What’s the advice for people that are homeless in Brisbane and in Moreton Bay from the government? Should they be going to shelters, should they be going to temporary emergency accommodation from the Department of Housing?

“We need to find out where the shelters will be and what to tell people now so they can start preparing.”

Brisbane City Council was contacted for comment.

City of Moreton Bay Council advised residents to check the council’s Disaster Dashboard for up-to-date information on evacuation centres but said crisis accommodation for homeless individuals was a matter for the Department of Housing.

At noon on Tuesday the dashboard showed no evacuation centres or refuge sites open.

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather and Green councillor for Gabba Ward Trina Massey wrote to the Queensland Minister for Housing on Monday expressing concern for people sleeping rough in the inner city.

On Tuesday, Chandler-Mather said the Department of Housing had since confirmed it was activating Critical Response Teams to attend known areas where homeless people were, and was connecting them with emergency accommodation.

“Council is also monitoring this situation, particularly for areas like Musgrave Park and Guyatt Park,” he wrote.

‘A tent or car will not protect them … many have young children who will be terrified.’

Matt Gardiner, QCOSS

A Department of Housing and Public Works spokesperson told this masthead CRT teams would “continue to work with state-funded Specialist Homelessness Service providers and local councils to ensure at-risk individuals receive the advice, support, and resources needed to stay safe during the cyclone”.

Slater, who supplies tents to people in Brisbane’s inner city, including Musgrave Park, said he would advise people not to stay in parks and to pack up their belongings.

“It’s going to be a very stressful time,” he said.

The state’s peak body for the social service sector, QCOSS, warned that “a tent or car will not protect [homeless individuals] from the predicted brutality of strong winds and heavy rainfall”.

Founder of Northwest Community Group Paul Slater (third from right) with founder of Nourish Street Beau Haywood (second from right) doing outreach for Brisbane’s homeless communities. Credit: Northwest Community Group

“Many have young children who will be terrified,” QCOSS’s Matt Gardiner said.

Nourish Street founder Beau Haywood, who provides outreach services throughout the Moreton Bay region, spent Monday night informing rough sleepers of the coming cyclone.

“Most had done a commendable job of securing tents, but I reminded them about the dangers posed by falling trees and the risk of flooding – issues some weren’t fully aware of,” Haywood wrote in a post on Facebook.

“I admire their resilience, but strongly urged them not to consider staying.”

The news of Cyclone Alfred lands at a testing time for the region’s homeless.

On Wednesday, the City of Moreton Bay Council announced it would repeal its “Persons Experiencing Homelessness Camping Framework”, making it illegal for all people to camp on public land from March 12.

City of Moreton Bay chief executive Scott Waters said the change would bring the council in line with neighbouring south-east Queensland local laws.

On Tuesday morning, City of Moreton Bay mayor Peter Flannery urged residents to take warnings seriously and to prepare now for a cyclone or flood event.

“Cyclones and the associated destructive winds are different to what many people may have experienced,” he said.

“If winds get above 80km/h, it will become unsafe to move, and we will not be able to assist residents.

“We encourage people to consider staying with family and friends if living in low-lying or exposed areas, prone to flooding.”

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