A homeless tent city in Brisbane, Queensland, is being threatened for the second year in a row by the upcoming Paniyiri Greek Festival.
The Greek festival is held every year in May at Musgrave Park in West End.
The park currently houses more than 60 tents for homeless people. Those sleeping rough have told A Current Affair they will have to give up what little they have when the park is cleared next month to make way for the festival.
Paul Slater, who runs Northwest Community Group, a charity to help the homeless, said he fears the tent tenants will be homeless over the duration of the festival.
“We’re not really sure what the plan is and what they’re going to do,” Paul said.
“It’s actually a big worry for us and for the residents, they’re coming to me every day and asking have you heard what’s going on, are we going to have somewhere to sleep?”
The Brisbane City Council said last year’s festival proceeded with support provided to those sleeping rough.
“We’re hopeful the same can occur this year,” a council spokesperson said.
“Council has a strict process in place to ensure occupied tents aren’t removed. It is completely unacceptable for people to be living in tents and cars while the taxpayer funded 500-bed Pinkenba quarantine facility sits idle and unused.”
Vicky Meyer, a person from the Department of Housing, said crews were on the ground five days a week to try to find solutions to this problem.
“We will go tent to tent with those individuals, couples, households that are residing here, we will work with them on long term housing options,” she said.
Source: Nine News.
