Court orders police warrant to evict Toowoomba hoarder and baby

A Toowoomba woman and her 10-month-old baby were left homeless after the woman was evicted for failing to keep her rental clean and decluttered.

A disadvantaged Toowoomba woman and her 10-month-old baby were left homeless last winter after the woman failed to upkeep the home provided to her by St Vincent de Paul Society.

A Brisbane court heard the mother, Mikeala Michell, was previously homeless and had no family support so it was likely she and her baby girl would again be homeless following the eviction.

St Vincent de Paul Toowoomba provides a limited amount of accommodation to local families struggling, although it was forced to get the court involved in their tenancy disagreement after Ms Michell refused to be evicted.

St Vincent de Paul told the court Ms Michelle was evicted for failing to maintain, clean, and declutter the unit in South Toowoomba.

“The property was highly cluttered and unclean,” court documents read.

“There was excessive maintenance reported costing the respondent considerable amounts of money.”

“There was very little space to conduct the spray and that the property was presented in a poor state,” court documents read.

“(Ms Michelle) has had many reports from trades people concerning the poor state of the property.

“(Also, St Vincent) representatives did not feel safe attending the property having noted (her) aggressive nature.”

The court also heard residents at the unit complex reported alleged illegal activities at the unit pertaining to alleged drug use and the selling of alleged stolen property.

One St Vincent de Paul associate told the court they witnessed the mother rummaging through a recently vacated unit and taking items such as old bottles, pot plants, and general unwanted household items.

The court heard the excessive clutter and need to hang onto unwanted items was likely a result of Ms Michelle’ transient lifestyle and she needed a large range of support systems to help her navigate life, as well as any future tenancy.

“Both she and her daughter need a high level of care and guidance from many social support agencies and she needs to be in a supported housing arrangement with a number of social supports in place on a daily basis,” the court heard.

In July 2022, Ms Michelle tried and failed to have the eviction and warrant overturned, however a Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal upheld the Toowoomba Magistrates decision to terminate the tenancy agreement and issue a warrant authorising a police officer to enter the premises.