As the homelessness crisis continues to escalate, a Victorian council could soon be offering rough sleepers free access to prime foreshore campgrounds.
The Mornington Peninsula Leader reports that the local council wants to rewrite its local law to give staff the power to allow people to camp for free at sites from Rosebud to Portsea.
It also wants the right to exempt ‘any person or class of persons’ from being fined for camping on land that is not an official campsite.
The newspaper reports that, currently, only designated camping areas can be used and a fee must be paid when using the council-run foreshore sites, which are open between November and April.
Those breaching the rules can face fines of $1000.
The change, which would be much more rough sleeper friendly, was suggested by Cr Sarah Race.
“This is our opportunity to care and engage with people at a point of need level, it is an extension of compassion as we grapple with the deepening housing crisis,” Cr Race said.
She told the Mornington Peninsula Leader that there were increasing numbers of people camping in parks and sleeping in cars across the Mornington Peninsula.
“This will take an element of fear or uncertainty out of their situation,” she said.
Southern Peninsula Community Support (SPCS) chief executive Jeremy Maxwell applauded the council for seeking “compassionate solutions”.
He told the Leader that it had been years since a fine had been enforced for rough sleeping on the foreshore.
However, the proposed change to the rules ‘gave council staff a framework to work within’.
However, Mr Maxwell said to really make a difference rough sleepers would need to be given access to foreshore showers, toilets and laundry facilities year round. He acknowledged thought that the shire was limited in what it could do as the foreshore was Crown land and the council simply managed the campsites on behalf of the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning.
The council is seeking feedback on its draft local laws until July 12.
We’ve lived on the Peninsula for 45 years, there’s no foreshore camping at Portsea.
The foreshore camping extends from McCrea to Rye.
The camping areas are extremely popular in the warmer months but for the rest of the year they are cold, wet, drab & windy.
The shire are letting them stay on un-powered sites, it would be freezing.
Come Summer & the rough sleepers will be told to move on as most sites are booked by the same people every year, it’s a long held tradition.
I often come across people living in thier cars on the foreshore. I don’t like it. They deficate around their car and leave rubbish even though a open public toilet is nearby. There should be a better solution.
This is the first time I’ve seen a Council planning with compassion. Beautiful area down there. I think get rid of fining people. Time to think differently.
Homelessness is a national issue – this is a short term solution for some and Councils do need to cover maintenance and sanitation costs and keep areas rubbish free. We all need a wider conversation about affordable longer term solutions.
The foreshore committee’s who like to think they are a law unto themselves, but manage on behalf of a Vic Gov. department, are hell bent on eliminating seasonal (annual) campers. This will give them the impetus to do so even more. No issues with having rough riders staying, but make it free RV to all. Those with $ will spend it in the local community as the long term campers currently do, which will help the couple of business in Tootgarook and the old West Rosebud (now ridiculously known as Capel Sound). An issue just as important is not allowing boats to be moored out the front of the campsites, again another poorly informed decision made by a State Govt Dept.
This great news, I’ve been homeless for 2 years, whilst traveling around Vic the towns that except rough sleeping were booming, makes sense,
At long last, a compassionate Cr. Sarah Race suggesting using unused facilities to care for those in need.
A friend of mine was abused and then attacked whilst walking by herself along the beach by a rough sleepers. Another time I and others did a quick u-turn on the boardwalk and walked back towards the pier when a guy, off his head in the scrub, was yeling and screaming in the scrub. Talk to the owners of the 3 beachsheds which have been burned down in the last 2 years. .Do you think tourist or locals will feel safe if this continues. You will kill off tourism and the $ which come with tourism, No-one will win, but you will have a warm and fuzzy feeling!!!!
We were camping in Secion A early Feb last year at Capel Sound. My husband and I were preparing to go to sleep when a naked man appeared in the darkness by our tent. Fortunately my husband was with me for a couple of nights (he was going to go back to our farm) and I was going to camp another 4 nights. It was such an unpleasant experience we packed up and left that night. It was after that episode that I read that homeless people were camping near Chinaman’s creek in the bush and all along the foreshore. As a female camping alone sometimes which I love normally, I won’t be camping there again in Feb as it is so quiet during the week after everyone has gone home for the working week. Only on weekends might I feel safe there again.