Brisbane’s annual Greek celebration has brought the city’s housing crisis into the spotlight, after authorities moved a group of rough sleepers from the site where the Paniyiri festival is set to take place next weekend, 20-21 May.
Organised by the Greek Orthodox Parish-Community of St George, Paniyiri takes place annually, welcoming tens of thousands of revellers to South Brisbane’s Musgrave Park.
It was reported this week, that up to 50 people experiencing homelessness and living in tents in the park were offered alternative accommodation options ahead of the festival.
According to A Current Affair, residents said the solution was a temporary fix to a bigger problem.
‘We have activated a dedicated Housing Pathways team who have been working with key stakeholders to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the Brisbane Local Government area, including Musgrave Park,” a Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy spokeswoman said in a statement.
“Alternative accommodation options have been identified and are available, including additional accommodation in boarding houses and local funded Specialist Homelessness Services.”
Meanwhile, Paniyiri organisers have committed to not disturbing any residents who wish to remain in the park during the two-day event and have offered them free entry in and out of the festival.
There will also be fencing around their tents.
Brisbane bears the brunt of the state’s housing crisis, with a recent UNSW Sydney analysis showing that the unmet need for social housing in Queensland exceeds 100,000 households.
Queensland has also seen a post-COVID rent increase of 34%, which is above the surge nationally.
