Tents are now being erected in the bushland closer to the river after Wilks Park residents were issued fines. Photo: Supplied.
Wilks Park is looking almost empty after Wagga Council issued fines and cleared former campsites this week – but advocates fear some rough sleepers have simply disappeared into the bush or been pushed into other unsafe locations around town.
For years, people with nowhere else to live have occupied makeshift camps at the riverside park.
Now, after council issued notices ordering people to leave and began handing out $110 fines, the camps are being dismantled.
Council has also been clearing up the former campsites this week to return Wilks Park to its intended use as a primitive campground, where stays are limited to 72 hours.
But housing advocates say that does not mean the homelessness crisis has gone with them.
Tim Verhoef said he knew of people who had moved their camps further into the bush to avoid council penalties they couldn’t afford to pay.
“I know of one woman who actually came back to Wilks Park because she couldn’t stay in her temporary accommodation, and we believe she’s gone into hiding further in the bushes,” he said.
“There are a lot of people living in Oura Beach too, and some have gone interstate, so they’re now someone else’s problem.”
Wilks Park is looking empty, but the homeless aren’t far away. Photo: Supplied.
Vickie Burkinshaw said many homeless people were living in fear and in a worse position now than they were three months ago, when the council and NSW Government launched a homelessness action plan after a baby was found dead in a tent.
“People are packing down camps and putting them up at night, so they’re not visible during the day, while others are moving further into the bushes,” she said.
“It’s out of sight, out of mind for the council, so they don’t have to look at it. But we’re not solving the problem, we are just hiding people.”
Council and Homes NSW have repeatedly said people at Wilks Park have been offered accommodation and support.
But Homes NSW has refused to answer basic questions about the response – including how many people have been housed, where they have been placed and how much the temporary accommodation is costing taxpayers.
The NSW Government’s main alternative has been hotel and motel accommodation, despite Wagga’s limited supply of rooms.
Camping gear can be found deeper in the bushes. Photo: Supplied.
When people were due to leave Wilks Park on 25 August, every hotel room in Wagga was booked out, leaving people facing an uncertain future.
Ms Burkinshaw said temporary accommodation was not a reliable solution.
“The government is saying people can stay in temporary accommodation but that is often full,” she said.
She also warned that keeping people in motels for months on end, until social housing was built, could create another problem.
“The other issue is that if they do keep people in motels long-term, there’s nowhere for women fleeing domestic violence who need emergency accommodation for a night.”
She said the homeless problem was bound to resurface within the next few weeks – as people had not been provided with permanent housing nor the wraparound support they needed.
“People who come out of Junee jail have been moving to Wilks Park because they can’t afford anywhere to stay in town. But where will they go now?”
The advocates have proposed an alternative has been sitting on the table for weeks – a serviced temporary camp at the Wiradjuri Reserve.
The proposal would provide a managed site where people experiencing homelessness could stay temporarily, with basic facilities and access to support services, rather than forcing people into isolated bush camps or relying entirely on expensive hotel rooms.
Advocates have argued the site would give rough sleepers somewhere safer and more stable while they worked towards permanent housing.
Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Region Riverina.
