‘Destroyed’: Homeless man act stokes anger

A clip of Brisbane workers moving a homeless man’s possessions in a park has sparked outrage online with viewers speculating the resident’s belongings were “destroyed” in the process.

Posting to content-sharing site Reddit, a user shared the video they claimed to have shot during the night near their home in the inner-city suburb of Woolloongabba, located 3km south of Brisbane’s CBD.

In the dark clip, the user claims to have witnessed workers taking the homeless person’s possessions away and destroying them through “crushing” with equipment.

However, when asked about the incident, the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads said workers were simply “moving” the person’s belongings to a new location.

“Around midday, a bunch of council workers show up at a homeless person’s RV and shelter on Regent St in Woollongabba,” the Reddit user wrote.

“I have been a neighbour of this person for months and there had never been any issues.

“Tonight they loaded up his vehicles to be taken away, and most surprisingly they have taken all the personal belongings and furniture that was on the land on the back of a dump truck, crushed with the excavation equipment.

“I think it’s quite over-the-top but just want to post this as quite an eye opening experience.”

They went on to ask whether this was “normal” and claimed that there had been “a dozen utility vehicles on this site all night and most of the afternoon”.

A Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesperson told news.com.au that they were helping to “pack and move” the person’s belongings after partnering with a housing and homelessness service.

“Transport and Main Roads has engaged with not-for-profit community welfare organisation Micah Projects to find long term housing for a person previously residing adjacent to 56 Regent Street,” the spokesperson said.

“Woolloongabba Transport and Main Roads assisted in the packing and transporting of belongings.”

When asked directly about the Reddit user’s claims of workers “crushing” the person’s belongings with excavation equipment, they did not wish to provide any further statement.

Do you know more? Continue the conversation: jasmine.kazlauskas@news.com.au

The post was flooded with hundreds of reactions from people who were stunned at the footage.

“I’m disappointed in the world humans built,” one wrote.

“I’ll bet between the tow, the contract for the digger and the dump truck, not forgetting the overtime for the council workers etc, this probably cost the council no less that $25,000 for the night’s work,” another said.

“This solves nothing. Where are these people supposed to go? We are the middle of a housing affordability crisis and this is the council response?”

“I’ve seen council take down tents at Roma Street, but to actually come along with an excavator just to destroy some poor guys property seems a bit over the top,” shared a commenter.

“Especially when that is literally everything they have in the whole world!” another agreed.

News.com.au understands that this was not the work of the local council but rather was a state decision by the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Homelessness in Australia

The current property crisis has seen Brisbane reportedly “crumbling” under near-record low vacancy rates, with experts warning there is no end in sight to the state’s debilitating housing crisis.

Vulnerable tenants are bearing the brunt as they are now being slugged an average of $56 more per week than when the state government held its flagship housing summit eight months ago.

There are also fears the continued tinkering of rental reforms has spooked investors.

Many caravan parks are also reported to have zero vacancies, while some parents and their children have had to live in motels for months on end.

Some are even being forced to find strangers online to live with in a desperate bid to keep themselves off the streets.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Queensland has the highest rate of homelessness just behind the Northern Territory.

On any given night, 122,494 people in Australia are experience homelessness according to ABS Census.

One in seven people experiencing homelessness are children under 12.

Only 6.2 per cent of people without a home are “sleeping rough”, with the majority of homelessness in crisis accommodation, rooming houses, insecure housing,

overcrowded dwellings or couch surfing.