City of Moreton Bay Bans Pets for Homeless People. ABC News 16/12/24

[Deeds]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-18/city-of-moreton-bay-bans-pets-van-sleeping-for-homeless-people/104732688

[persephone]

and a very merry Christmas to that council !

[Little Gifts]

That makes me so angry! We are in a housing crisis up here and part of that crisis is directly attributed to council's decision making and approval processes. Same with all councils. There are no caravan and cabin parks where people can live medium to long term anymore. There aren't enough varieties of housing types being built anymore and what is being built (big houses on small blocks in skinny streets) isn't happening quick enough.

 

In all my years of living in a council area that has some of the lowest socio economic suburbs in the state I have never seen as many people living rough like they are at present. All they have are council  amenities in parks and I am happy if council needs to spend my rates monies having to maintain parks more frequently because of it. If they really think someone would prefer to be living in a tent during an ongoing heat wave and rain bombing then they must have rocks in their heads.

 

And I bet you they didn't ask the rate payers in their LGA what their feelings on the matter were either. What a bunch of uncaring knobs.

[Redsonic]

The people featured in the linked article are camped at the Gayundah Coastal Arboretum. This is a waterfront park close to multiple high rise apartments at Woody Point.

I strongly suspect that the council has taken this step because of multiple complaints from the apartments in the area. I have relatives living nearby and have heard a constant litany of complaints from people in their building. I am pretty sure most of it is petty resentment that they have paid top dollar for their waterfront apartment and the homeless have paid nothing.

The real issue is, of course, that there is nowhere else for people to go. The whole idea of banning camping in a van (but allowing tents) assumes that the van dwellers can go to a caravan park but, as the article states, there are no vacancies in caravan parks.

As for banning them from having dogs, some of the homeless are in that state because they chose their pets over their rental. Talk about kicking someone when they are down. This same council until recently banned people from having more than one dog in a unit, and illegally declared dozens of dangerous dogs without proper authority.

[tdierikx]

Moreton Bay Council has a very poor track record when it comes to dog ownership in the area... to the point of their actions being found to be illegal even. Unfortunately, homeless people don't have the means to fight the council in an extended legal battle, so are easy targets... grrr!

 

I remember some years ago when a homeless man took up residence in a derelict unused garage on the empty property next door to where I lived. He was quite respectful about his comings and goings as to not set off my 5 dogs, and he lived there safe and dry and relatively warm for a good number of months not bothering anyone. Someone must have seen him one day and called the police to come move him on, which they proceeded to try with heavy handed tactics that appalled me. I tried to defend his right to camp there. I was the only one who would have been affected by his presence, as the garage was right next to my property line... unfortunately the police stuck to their demands that he move on, and I never saw him again.

 

Obviously things haven't changed much in the 20-something years since. People are all concerned about the homeless problem... as long as they don't have to see the realities of it where they live... *sigh*

 

T.

[Boronia]

Copy of Pets In The Park post on their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14Vj95BSud/

Pets In The Park

Pets In The Park strongly condemns the recent policy decision made earlier this week by the City of Moreton Bay to ban homeless individuals from owning a pet.

Australia is not a country that kicks the little people; rather, we are a society that lends a hand to help people when they are downtrodden. This does not appear to be the case in the City of Moreton Bay, however, where Council is now targeting some of the most marginalised members of its own community.

People suffering the devastating effects of homelessness live a very difficult, exclusionary existence. In many cases, their pets are their entire world. It's a reason for them to get up in the morning. A reason to feel loved. Companionship during lonely days. Security on dark unsafe nights.

Homelessness can and does happen to ordinary people in Australia with frightening ease. Whether it’s sudden job loss, relationship breakdown, family violence, faulty financial products, medical episodes, natural disasters – there are myriad ways in which a person can suddenly and very unexpectedly find themselves without stable housing. This decision carries dangerous implications for all Moreton Bay residents. If any resident were to face the unimaginable – losing their home – they too would fall victim to a Council policy that is designed to persecute, rather than assist.

Government policies have real-world consequences, and the decision by the City of Moreton Bay to outlaw pet ownership for people experiencing homelessness will simply deepen their hardship. At Pets In The Park’s free veterinary clinics, including our Caboolture clinic within the City of Moreton Bay area, we witness firsthand the lifesaving bond between vulnerable individuals and their pets – companions who provide emotional support, unconditional love, and a sense of hope and purpose during a person’s hardest times.

Our dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to offer compassionate care to both people and their animals, ensuring their wellbeing. A more caring approach from the council, recognising and valuing this important bond, would not only support those in need, but also honour the hard work of volunteer-led charity organisations like ours that are committed to serving the Moreton Bay community.

We urge the residents of Moreton Bay, and the broader Australian community, to voice their compassion and concern for these vulnerable people and pets. Demand a reversal of this cruel, short-sighted policy decision. Demand real solutions that address the complex problem of homelessness with dignity and genuine care.

www.petsinthepark.org.au

 

Edited Friday at 09:15 AM by Boronia

[persephone]

Good piece, but I doubt it will help