A year after it was launched, a trial allowing homeless people to stay long-term at Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula foreshore reserves is being reviewed.
The shire’s community partnerships manager, Chris Munro, told the Southern Peninsula News that soaring rents and property values had led to an increase in the number of peninsula residents at serious risk of becoming homeless.
“Most will end up couch surfing or sleeping in their car, but there are some who run out of options and may end up rough sleeping,” he said. “For the past year we have been working with local homeless services to make 12 foreshore camping sites available for temporary crisis accommodation during camping season.”
He said that trial was now being reviewed after 12 months of operation.
Mr Munro said the foreshore camping ground was a ‘last resort’ option for a small number of people.
“At the end of camping season there is always the challenge of supporting people to transition to other accommodation options and our staff work closely with outreach workers in support of this,” he told the Southern Peninsula News. “There is no plan to have people who are homeless permanently accommodated on the foreshore.”
Council was lobbying state and federal governments to pay for social and affordable housing on the peninsula, as well as crisis accommodation.
The Southern Peninsula News also reports that rumours that the shire is considering allowing homeless people ongoing access to the Rosebud and Capel Sound foreshore camping areas and toilets has outraged some residents.
David Peel told the News he would ‘stand on the steps’ of the civic centre to strongly oppose the move, due to the ‘attitude and the mess’ of people sleeping illegally on the foreshore.
“They should be moved on, as I cannot imagine this happening at Mount Eliza, McCrae, Sorrento or Portsea,” he said. “I need an urgent answer as I will be doing a door knock in the area to obtain signatures to oppose this sneaky proposal by the shire.”
Mr Peel, NIMBY ?
We live in the area, no harm done letting them camp on the foreshore as long as there are regular police patrols doing routine checks.
Have some sympathy as some people have nowhere else to go. Could you imagine being homeless and have no one to turn to? Help find a solution if you can and not just whine about it. It may happen to someone you know one day.
My wife and I have experienced threats and abuse and have had an empty bottle thrown at us when riding along the bike track along the foreshore in Rosebud. Unfortunately we feel unsafe to continue to walk past, ride and take our baby in the pram past these areas now.
Then fight for public housing. Lookup Tri-morbid & imagine what it is like living in a Rooming house with 30% Tri-morbid patients. Anti-social behaviour is promoted by homelessness.
Our friend was similarly attacked whilst walking back along the beach a few months ago. She was really shaken up. A month later we were walking along the boardwalk another night and we could hear a guy off his head screaming and yelling. We along with other walkers turned around and walked back to the pier.
The drug dealers drive through on the tracks at night doing deliveries with lights turned off. You can see see the pink and yellow ribbons for the meet up spots.
We used to go down to the beach at night, but now that is out of the question with the rough campers living in the scrub. We need to do something as it will ruin the tourism industry. The Shire and police needs to get real and do something.
If you can’t afford to live on the Peninsula, then move elsewhere that you can afford. This is like me expecting to be able to live in Brighton for free – I can’t afford to live there so I don’t. I live on the Peninsula and it isn’t bloody cheap as it is, so I work hard to be here. So I expect my beaches to be safe and clean for the premium I pay in taxes and rates. It isn’t about sympathy, it is logic.
totally agree. just like during the Australian Tennis Open, they held the city to hostage and the ransom was free accommodation. They will kill tourism on the peninsuala. Iv’e given money to people, only to be asked for more. I’ve had a guy say he hadn’t eaten for days. I gave him my lunch only for him to go through it, checking the fillings of the sandwiches and handing them back. I missed out on my lunch due to his scamming. We no longer feel safe walking along the beach at night after on our female friends was attacked. What a joke!!!. Police do something!!!!
Well where would you like us to go then there is now where else to be safe I was one sleeping in my car at Oliver’s Hill since been moved on and I will be fighting for some thing to be done to help us less fortunate may I remind you you are all only a couple of pay packets from where I am now we are people and deserve to be treated with some dignity can you afford to pay rent on $340 a week and pay your normal bills and run a car and feed pets I challenge any one that says they can only reason I manage is because I am being put up in a motel until next Tuesday and then I will be back on the streets again and it is causing my mental health to go down again not to mention I have also done myself a back injury other wise I would be working but I find I can’t work now