Housing crisis Qld: Homeless increasingly seeking shelter in schools

Queensland schools are bolstering security after a surge in homeless, drug-affected and mentally unwell people trespassing.

Queensland Associations of State School Principals president Pat Murphy

Queensland schools are bolstering security and cleaning measures after a spike in homeless, drug-affected and mentally unwell people trespassing at education facilities and leaving hazardous materials behind.

Queensland Associations of State School Principals president Pat Murphy said there had been an increase in trespassing by people not connected with schools.

“We are witnessing some of our schools, particularly inner-city schools where there are homeless people using schools as shelters,” he said.

“While homelessness is an issue, school staff notice that people impacted by drugs or with mental health conditions and are also trespassing.”

Mr Murphy said groundskeepers and cleaners were required to arrive as early as 5.30am to look for any dangerous items left behind, including sharps and broken glass, and to check if anyone was still loitering in the school from overnight.

“For the safety of students it’s critical that our school staff deal with them in a responsible way, there has been an increase in recent years, with the level of anxiety in the community in the last few years,” he said.

“When our staff find people who should not be there, generally they are good, they do move on.

“Sometimes there is evidence of people being in the grounds overnight and who have already moved on before staff enter.”

Micah Projects CEO Karyn Walsh

It is understood school staff have raised concerns about the protocols if a person is found at school premises outside official hours.

CEO of social justice not-for-profit Micah Projects Karen Walsh said it was not unusual to receive reports of homeless people sleeping in or near schools across Brisbane.

“They generally tend to not stay there very permanently, it would more commonly be used as shelter in the rain,” she said.

“If there’s a veranda or outdoor schools sports area, that is usually where we are asked to go see people, and sometimes they aren’t there any more by the time we arrive.”

Ms Walsh said school grounds were commonly a last resort for homeless people.

“Generally inner-city like the Valley or Central is where we get reports, but lots of schools have gates which deter some,” she said.

Teachers’ Professional Association of Queensland president Scott Stanford said many schools had been gated in the past 18 months to cut down on trespassing.

“They would come in to school grounds overnight or during weekends and doing things like breaking windows, breaking into lockers,” he said.

Queensland Teachers’ Union vice-president Leah Olson said school facilities should be for education, and were not suitable for homeless accommodation.

“Security for everyone involved is just one of the reasons,” she said

A Department of Education spokesman said any instance of unauthorised persons being found on a state school premises, refusing to comply with a move-on directive from staff, would be referred to police.

Originally published as Housing crisis Qld: Homeless increasingly seeking shelter in schools