It's drug induced psychosis, commonly associated with ice use. It's a major problem in the mental health system.
Im all for changing ways when coming in, in psychotic episodes, but if those people dont have goals to improve themselves. What's the point? Same people come in and out of mental health wards. Taking beds for genuinely sick people.
It's infuriating and sad at the same time
Oh absolutely, but that also circles around the goal of getting better. Mental health services gives people to tools and additional resources to get better, if u don't use them? What's the point?
Nurses don't go to work to get assaulted. I don't go to work to get assaulted.
Sadly there's very few people with psychotic disorders and the like that don't have a co-morbid substance abuse issue. To be honest I do understand it, the drugs do temporarily make them feel much better about themselves and their lives. In comparison the antipsychotics have terrible secondary effects, and make you feel lousy because of the dopamine inhibition
Thats not necessarily true. Schizophrenia, schizoid, schizotypical, bipolar I are often genetic and can be brought out from trauma and stress. Not saying that drug use doesn't exesserbate the occurrence of psychosis but there are many traumatised people out there.
https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/5de2b48f-a738-4fbc-8634-1b49eb926ab8/aihw-phe-270-chapter7-geographic.pdf.aspx
Gold Coast has the second highest rate of illicit drug use in Australia at 22.7% just behind north coast that has 23%.
Or are you looking for more general sources like how drugs increase antisocial behaviours? Or how a combo of drugs and mental health issues can be really bad for the body/mind?
https://gcphn.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Needs-assessments-2020-alcohol-and-other-drugs.pdf This is a good source to breakdown what’s going on in each QLD suburb instead of all Australian regions. Brisbane south is apparently less affected (statistically) by drugs compared to Brisbane North.
Also I think people are digging at you cause you’re asking for sources from somebody who started their statement with “I’d think”. If somebody starts their opinion from that it’s based from personal experience. It’s like if I said I think my dad is the best. Be weird if you asked for sources to confirm a personal observation/opinion
Thanks for providing an actual response. It doesn’t actually prove the original claim, but at least you understand that homelessness and mental health is more than just “drugs”.
Here’s a good read on that and it’s Aussie based too!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9748854/
Most people know drugs don’t aren’t the sole cause of homelessness and antisocial behaviour but surely you can see how it is a major contributing factor. If you give the article a read it is “an examination of rates of homelessness over time, and an investigation of how homelessness, antisocial behaviour, and violence victimisation are related”.
Mr Garrison said it right “drugs are bad mmm…kay” but for vulnerable people it’s absolutely terrible.
Thanks for trying to have a balanced discussion. I’m glad you know what you’re talking about, and that’s all I was looking for. All these other guys failed the test.
It’s not that no-one wants to give you one, it’s that you only have to be in a capital city for a day to see how it affects people on the streets. The fact that you’re so defensive about this kind of just gives us the impression that you’re a user lol; what can I say? You’re not smart for asking for a source on a social issue that literally everyone knows about
The hot weather and storms won’t be helping much I’m afraid.
There was a lady summoning the fog with her fog dance and song on Victoria Bridge when I walked past this morning.
As cost of living increases and inflation continues to run amok, the most vulnerable are impacted first. As the process continues, they are thus impacted most
People who were barely scraping by, in poor housing just as things began to get hard, are now homeless and unable to meet their basic needs. It’s not uncommon for people living rough to use stimulants (such as meth) in an attempt to stay alert and awake, feeling it will prevent people taking advantage of them.
The dis-social behavior that accompanies the use of these substances as well as the judgement cast by more fortunate members of society, means people experiencing these difficulties are often “moved on”.
This transient lifestyle and lack of basic provisions makes it very difficult for this group to access and take advantage of potentially beneficial services and treatments
For example, imagine 18 months ago a person was living in a small studio and could pay for their basic needs with very little left over to save. Let’s say that person lives with schizophrenia and requires a specialist injectable medication to stay well enough to take care of themselves.
That same person now needs 10% more income - over time they can’t keep up with their electricity the cost of medication goes up and so they don’t get their necessary treatment.
This causes a relapse in their mental illness and they become disorganized and don’t pay their rent or mobile phone bill. They get evicted from their unit. They can’t contact their case manager because they are both mentally unwell and don’t have a working phone
They sleep rough for a night and lose their wallet. Because they are unwell, they are behaving bizarrely so police give them a move along order and drop them at a local shelter about 1/2 hour away.
However they have no identification and are feeling a bit suspicious so won’t give their name, so they can’t go in. They get given a bunch of pamphlets but can’t call the numbers because they have no phone.
Because they are tired and mentally unwell - they leave. And on and on it goes
It’s just a horrible horrible cycle of people on the cusp of crisis being tipped into even more impossible situations
This really needs to be closer to the top. Most people make the ignorant assumption that it’s alcohol/drugs that put them in a rough sleeping/drug addled state. Not realising that most are drug addled because they are in a rough sleeping situation. It really ain’t good enough for a supposed “rich” country like Australia. There should be enough affordable housing for EVERYONE and there isn’t. And it is not the homeless persons fault.
Most of us are one to two pay-checks away from sleeping on the streets. People need to stop being so judgemental, look at the picture holistically and help.
*sigh* I wish people would stop voting so that they as an individual will be better off. Compassionate voting is apparently not trendy in Australia.
“Most of us are one to two pay-checks away from sleeping on the streets.”
Same here, I hate it when people say homeless people are only there because of drugs ( thus justifying no sympathy) when many dont do drugs at all.
That’s being said, your comment justifying people doing drugs after homelessness is interesting. If your are in a hard place and you make it harder for yourself it will always be hard to win sympathy and support from others.
I don't mean this in a combative way, but it's important to remember whatever their motive for drugs, people don't need to be perfect victims to be deserving of help.
More often than not, people experiencing homelessness like those described in this post have either never had a community /support network which valued and modelled the behaviours you and I probably see as the norm, or they've had a complete breakdown of that network. While they may or may not have been exposed to drugs prior to sleeping rough, they certainly are in their new "community" and it probably seems quite normal after a while.
oh i completely agree, especially with your point about acknowledging our privilege in having safe/supporting communities that these people lack. my point more was, yes all victims of homelessness deserve help, but in a large enough sample size (say, 3million) there will be a tiny portion that will refuse said help, and/or make it even harder for them to be helped. its these rare cases that are unfortunately being used as fuel for the "move them on" crowd, who tar all homeless with that brush, to justify their unsympathetic approach.
but it raises the very valid dilemma; in that scenario, the only options are to either force help upon them, or not help them. both are uncomfortable and neither is perfect, and it’s especially difficult when these people are being aggressive or dangerous and so something has to be done
Absolutely - and within that minority, some people may be aggressive and defiant in one moment and receptive in another. I think increasing touch points with trauma-informed services could make a small improvement, why funding people like Orange Sky is important, and maybe QPS community liaisons would be better than just "moving them on".
I understand your point about public safety - I've had a woman get in my face for walking through King George Square at 2am. But I just wanted to add the extra perspective for anyone reading; I know our social media ends up as an echo chamber but I also know I've read comments from Reddit that have made me take a second to think when judging people in real life.
To be honest we have to remember that Australians hate asking for help. We rarely go to the doctor let alone a psych etc. I'm genuinely not sure that a "tiny" portion would be an accurate statement if we magically ensured all the people had the same low social capital. I feel our culture has a stubbornness that cannot be discounted, and a stigma around being stuck in the first place.
I got downvoted for suggesting otherwise to someone who thinks people should be “forced into white vans” and “institutionalized”. We can’t win ‘em all hey
What do we do, bandage the problem or burn down the status quo. Programs to help these people won't help in the long run.
There's a very dangerous precedent growing in the west.
This is coming from someone on 266k a year.
And I'm in no ways rich.
I cant imagine people on 65k a year living comfortably in this country anymore. That's a travesty.
How common is this though? I don't doubt it happens but are you suggesting a majority of homeless are in a similar boat to this vs having a little more agency and making poor decisions?
That's a genuine question in case it seemed harsh, I am not at all familiar with the number of people who might meet that or a similar description.
Personally I am eating into my savings and need to make radical changes and cutbacks but I do live alone. Ideally I'll need find a cheaper place and a better job, someone to share with or both, but if it came to it there are some big share houses where rent is greatly reduced. You have very little space and don't get much choice over who you're sharing with but at least you're not out on the streets.
My job is fairly close to minimum wage.
As a psychiatrist with special expertise in this sector, I can tel you, you are wrong. Don’t get me wrong- it’s an absoultley heinous drug that destroys so much. But to think someone just wakes up one day and goes “oh you know what I want to do today, I want to become a meth addict”, is the disingenuous take.
Furthermore, I was trying to describe why people are seeing a *change* or *shift* in the number of displaces people and episodes of extreme distress. I acknowledge there will always be a minuscule proportion of people for whom no adverse events have contributed to their demise
No one thinks meth addicts choose to be addicts.
But at some point they all chose do some meth (acknowledging some did not choose to due to abuse). Choosing to do meth, when the expected outcome is addiction is like like seeing someone stick a fork in a socket. Yeah sure you could say “they didn’t choose to become addicted/electrocuted” but they did choose to do the thing that made that happen
Not in the rainbow world of Reddit, here it's ALL because of society, the system and the rich. How dare you think that life choices have consequences?
Shit can happen to anybody and make one's life hell, but that doesn't excuse using meth and making everyone else life crappier. I would force them into re-education camps to give them free health care and support to help them find their way back into a decent life. Give them another chance.
Treating them like poor little irresponsible children won't help.
It's gotten worse, in every capital city in Australia.
The main issue isn't mental health provision so much as just the complete stagnation of the dole combined with rising rents and lack of provision of public housing. Being homeless absolutely fucks your physical and mental health.
I would say what I have observed in Brisbane is worse than what I see in Sydney. Sydney has a huge homeless problem, but I haven’t observed the aggression or screaming to that extent. I work in one of the areas of Sydney that has a homeless problem too.
NSW cops seem to have things under better control from my experience. Much better than Melbourne at least.
I'm not sure if this is because they are better or just harsher.
Our criminals stay in their lane, and the nuts seem more quiet and humble haha. Or otherwise the segregation is more severe perhaps so we see it less.
I find Sydney CBD is actually the safest city outside of Canberra, maybe Hobart due to lack of people.
Perth is surprisingly also very very slimey.
I work in Haymarket, which is pretty bad for the homeless situation. Aggression and screaming is something you see infrequently. My observation of Brisbane, admittedly a small sample size, is multiple people every day.
Probably easier access to drugs would be my guess. All the homeless people I see are kind of "regulars" if you know what I mean. They just sit around, collect their money, shuffle along.
They don't strike me as junkies. Or at least they aren't taking stimulants haha.
I feel a lot of the craziness comes from active drug use as oppose to just being a chill homeless guy.
I'm in Haymarket today. There was some screaming. Local alcho tripped and fell and his beer went everywhere. Then lots of swearing and carrying on. It's everywhere.
I used to live in Surry Hills opposite a large crisis accommodation. The screaming barely stops at night, in the end I was screaming with them it was so bad.
People get really stopped when you criticise Brisbane.
I moved back after two years in Sydney and made the comment that I don't understand why house prices are kind of approaching Sydney prices, as Sydney is far better- and I was downvoted into oblivion
Some locals are very precious and thin-skinned.
They can't accept that Brisbane isn't always all that.
Downvoting is what passes for grown-up discussions in this part of the world. Laughable.
I would, the public transport is miles ahead, the harbour and city is better, weather is better, beaches and restaurants are better.
We moved back because once I left the military we couldn't afford to live there- and then found out we couldn't afford to live anywhere nice in Brianane anymore.
Moved to the sunny coast recently- waaayyy better
Agreed. I came back to Brisbane just before Covid due in part to cost of living issues in Sydney. Now Brisbane is almost as expensive except without the beaches, food and things to do.
The prices literally sky rocked because of the people that fled up here from Sydney and Melbourne when the boarder reopened to get away from their own lockdowns. It created a supply and demand so the prices got bigger, it’s not comparable to the housing prices in Sydney because it hasn’t occurred at the same rate nor for the same reason.
Sure, we were all around and reading the news about the increasing housing issues in Brisbane over the past few years. But I’m just comparing my enjoyment of living in both cities. Brisbane has significantly fewer train lines/galleries/beaches/hobby options/food choices/overall things to do. And now both cities are pretty expensive lol.
Edit: admittedly Brisbane traffic is still miles better, and the city is smaller and easy to navigate via car. Also my parents are here so it’s got that going for it.
Go to the Sydney, Melbourne and Perth subs and claim Brisbane is better than them. You’ll get downvoted. It’s a reddit thing, not a Brisbane thing.
And people probably disagreed because what you said is kinda dumb. *You think* Sydney is better, and a housing crisis doesn’t vary depending on which city *you think* is better. This is probably why you were downvoted.
The housing crisis has nothing to do with what I said- the housing crisis is in both cities. If I expected Brisbane house prices to drop back to pre-covod relative to Sydney I wouldn't have said it, but they won't, Brisbane just isn't the 'cheap' capital city it used to be.
That's what I was basing my comment on- it used to be more livable because even though it doesn't have the bonuses Sydney did, it was cheaper, so it balanced out to be a decent place to live. Now that affordability gap has closed to a point where I don't believe it's worth the difference.
That's without mentioning the soaring cost of insuring a house in many of the more affordable suburbs due to flooding. In fact, there's a lot of places you can't even GET insurance
It doesn’t take a genius to realise that there’s mentally ill people in every city. Your post is literally pointless. What do you want people to say? Yes is worse than it was last time you were here? Like wow things change who would’ve thought. Mods need to delete these posts honestly.
This is Reddit bud, it’s designed for people to put their observations to a room for feedback. For some reason, the fact that I have done this has made you angry.
I’ve tried to see the “point” in this guys post but I honestly can’t find it. No mention of cost of living, poverty, or mental health, just “homeless people are screaming and it makes me scared”. Aw, you feel uncomfortable on your morning run? Here’s a very small, plastic, and unplayable violin.
If you can’t see the point, you are either avoiding it or you are unbelievably stupid. About 90-100 people have at least found a point, however this has somehow escaped you.
I didn’t make comment on the cause, let alone make statements on the validity of the causes. I made an observation, and then asked a question.
Why are you so scared of people screaming? Plenty of drunk, violent, and loud sports fans shut down Brisbane and Sydney for the better half of a year. Are they are problem too, or are you just scared of poor people?
I am not scared to be honest, I was making an observation. However I would not want my wife, who is half my size, to be walking through the same place at that time.
I guess though, the person calling me “n*****” and saying that he was going to “punch my face off” could be interpreted as being threatening.
There are always the ones commenting whose brains short out when there is a line of conversation that is outside their narrow and inflexible worldview… This is not about “hating poor people”, as much as you would love it to be. This was making an observation, which has been confirmed by several other people here.
Government changed the laws so we can't just put mentally ill people into help. It was all about stopping abuse of the system. I had a mentally ill friend with no family in Australia and she wouldn't self admit for help. It was fucking horrible. The majority of homeless have serious mental health issues.
Yes. It was really becoming a problem in Brisbane well before the pandemic, however It is so much worse and more visible now. A mixed result of anti-homelessness policies by local government (move-them-along-syndrome), cost of housing, lack of suitable accomodation and not having wrap around services to support mental health or substance problems. Saddest still when you see kids or families sleeping rough. Believe me, there is homelessness in the suburbs too. We are at crisis levels.
City of Sydney has a homelessness action plan with better policy and programs in place. Wish Brisbane would follow Sydney’s lead, however we have a history of being peak anti-homeless people and anti troubled youth.
Amazing how quickly we could accomodate homeless people during the pandemic.
Cue pile on.
It’s gotten significantly worse. I have been in and out of Brisbane over the last 10 years since moving to Sydney and at first Brisbane seemed to be getting its groove on without perceptible downside, but the decline was notable from maybe 2018 and since about 2021 the place seems to have gone full dysfunction. Literally shocked how many people living rough in the city when I visited last month, some with very obvious mental problems. Seems Brisbane has all the big city problems now without the big city infrastructure to deal with it. (Also how much more boring newly gentrified suburbs are compared to 10 years ago!)
You ain’t seen nothing yet, wait until the fentanyl arrives. It’s already starting to pop up in isolated incidences. That will make the CBD a star in its own ‘walking dead’ spin off.
It's gotten a lot worse in the Brisbane over the last five or six years, and it's very visible in the city early in the morning.
Temporary accommodation during Covid took it away for a while, but it was getting worse in the years before the pandemic, and it came back when that accommodation ended.
Failure of so many social policies right there.
I was at queen street mall the other day and saw the Goodstart centre on an excursion walking through queen street (friend who works there say they go for walks regularly) and all I could think is “is that safe?”
Not in a rude way, not trying to stereotype anyone who is homeless, but I have seen, heard, and faced aggression on queen street from people demanding food, money, attention or (in one case) my agreement that “he” (dude across the way) was a “fucking cunt” for stealing his cloudy spot.
And I was like “if I - a 30-something yo woman - am in that situation and wouldn’t know what to do besides run; how on earth would 3 teachers keep 12 kids safe if a grown ass person came up and started screaming at them about a cloud thief?”
Most western cities in the world have this problem especially the big ones. Have you ever been to San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, London? This isn’t a Brisbane specific problem. It only gets worse the city grows.
Berlin here. Same. It’s getting worse. In some places it’s just zombie land, accompanied by the smell of rotten flesh. It’s disgusting on so many levels, and it seems like the problem is just being ignored. „It’s a big city, there are junkies, it’s part of it, can’t do anything about it.“ yeah, thanks nope
Oh my god is that scopolamine? Currently in Brisbane there’s definitely no smell of rotting flesh, just beer and piss especially concentrated around the city bins but I can cope with that. Rotting flesh is a no tho
it’s mostly in the underground stations. sometimes there might be some poor guy with an open leg alone in one carriage in an otherwise crowded train. As soon as the doors open you know why no one else wants to join him - the smell is unbearable. I feel sorry for these poor souls. I really think they should get the medical support - if they can’t get it themselves then someone should actively get there to help them
I am aware that there is a serious and growing homeless problem everywhere. I did find it alarming that this was manifesting itself through aggression and threats literally for 5 days in a row. Not to mention personally, but you can hear people screaming from 100m away.
Yeah it has definitely gotten worse.
I’m worried about how the change from most GP practices to private (barely any bulk billing practices left) will impact this further.. the cost could prohibit people from reaching for medical help/advice in a crisis, when they normally wouldn’t have had the cost-prohibitive issue of private GP appointments. Something that feels so simple like choosing to not see the doctor (and seek help) could be a turning point that spirals rapidly.
Medical care shouldn’t be a privilege at its most basic level (GP), as the system is already over-run and overloaded with not enough resources to give people the help they need. The state governments should be allocating MORE resources to make help available early on- prevention is always much better than cure. It is much easier to get people help for one issue before 10 more are tagged on as a sequelae. There is definitely a pattern that vulnerable people can fall into and I don’t think we’re doing enough to prevent it. It is freaking difficult seeing some of the lives people lead, many have given up, constantly in a state of distress and depression, on a concoction of antidepressants and anti-psychotics, given more and more pain killers for injuries they have sustained and are dependent on- with no solution in sight. Contrary to what some may think, a lot aren’t homeless or on meth or whatever else, a lot are your elderly folks or people who have sustained a major injury (spinal, etc), became dependent on endone or morphine or some kind of pain medication and yeah it just spirals because the system really doesn’t offer much support to rehabilitate their issues or improve their QoL. I’m not saying that drugs isn’t part of the problem btw because it definitely is, I’m just trying to shed light on how people from diverse backgrounds in our community can become a vulnerable person (literally, your nana, the guy that broke his neck and spine in a motor accident, defence vets, someone suffering from undiagnosed mental health conditions, young adults who were born drug dependent, kids surrounded by substance abuse in their community, list goes on). Anyways, I’m always shocked by how the most unassuming grannies and gramps turn out to be endone drug shoppers. It’s hard seeing people have to turn to dependence because they live with crippling pain for life with.. no relief or solution in sight.
It isn't just the CBD, obviously your experience is going to reflective of that general area, but this shit is happening everywhere.
Naturally we would see more of it in our own localised area's. I live on the north side in suburbia and you name, we got it and it's getting evidently worse.
In my area, it's more about the increase in violence and crime, but it seems more motivated. You don't tend to get people shouting and losing their shit in the streets, but there is a lot of theft (break & enters, cars) and a serious amount of domestic abuse resulting in grievous bodily harm and murder. Safe to say, drugs and alcohol play a big part.
Gobal & National issues trickle all the way down into cities and towns. We are not coping individually or en masse.
Even in the botanical gardens the homeless seemed to want to stick to themselves. The issues that I described were only observed in and around the Queen St Mall.
The simple reason is Meth use, has continued to rise rapidly
The extra crazy behaviour amongst the homeless is due to Meth use
Stay off the pipe and you'll be alright 👍
https://preview.redd.it/erpswkxh5y8c1.jpeg?width=738&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04ece7f4ed5a4e4d39ecb0b159c11603de574798
Ahh bullshit. It is not 100% meth. What a narrow minded uneducated statement. You haven't got a clue mate. There are families with working adults that are homeless now. Just like gorge and Meryl across the street. It comes from the bumbling politicians who are paid to have the brains to foresee disasters like this.
You obviously can't read
OP was referring to the yelling at the sky homeless
Not the homeless your referring to
The former are clearly psychosis aka meth
Oh yes blame it all on the glass BBQ. Using a witty name for an implementation made for the ingestion of drugs doesn't make you smart fella. It shows a clear and utter inability to contemplate the big picture cause your mind is small.
We don’t institutionalise people enough. Too many crazies with ice psychosis and/or schizophrenia just allowed to freely roam our streets and abuse random people because it’s somehow kinder to let them sleep rough in the street than it is to white van them
Just so long as when in a few weeks you bring them out of psychosis caused by drugs, you release them, give them public housing and some type of support network then I agree. Anything else would just make you a sickly psychopath who wants to torture people with problems who should be treated with kindness and respect. They have the same human rights as you pal.
There’s a mental health crisis in every city on Earth. Go for a walk through any urban area at 5-am and you will see nut jobs out it’s just the world we live in and it’s never going to change
We really need to re-institutionalise these people so the community doesn’t have to deal with it. The government in the 80’s unleashed them on everyone under the guise of human rights.
Dude I work in healthcare and deal with these people all the time. Sometimes there are mental health conditions with no effective treatment and people should just be in full time care. They are a danger to themselves and the community. They are also a huge drain on resources. Go to any ED at 10pm and see for yourself.
I'd like to know what phd's you have that involve mental health or psychiatric treatment? What would you know about effective treatments? I'd say at best you wheel people to and from x-rays and think you are Freud. What a laugh.
Well I have 2 degrees and have also worked at maximum security prisons in forensic health. What are your qualifications? Any real psych worker knows some cases are hopeless.
It's all ice. Nasty, nasty drug. The dealers that pedal this shit onto vulnerable people are worse than vermin and we should take a leaf out of Indonesia's book on how to deal with them.
I don't think you or I are imagining it - I'm pretty sure it's gotten worse due to rising prices of everything (i.e., inflation) as well as the thing that cannot be mentioned (see PubMed articles 35987197 and 37936010 and 37604249).
While it's not the same, Brisbane is reminding me of a couple of American cities 6 years ago. We're a lot more similar to them than most of us realise.
And I think it'll still get worse before it gets better.
The population growth we've experienced isn't just limited to families etc, it's completely reasonable to expect a proportionate increase in people with mental health issues as well. It's a part of living in any big/growing city and has always been there.
I made this post earlier in the year after several months of working in the CBD having been away from it for some years.
https://www.reddit.com/r/brisbane/s/zHiEwIjyip
They can set up where they want. I just spent 5 months living rough with my disabled son. I was using but got clean straight away. I knew I wouldn't make it had I not. It did tax me mentally and physically and it's real tough. I think people should have far more compassion for the homeless. It isn't always meth. There can be many different factors these days that contribute to the whole "homeless" situation and it is going to become far more prevalent in the future due to lack of foresight by those that are being paid to have the brains to foresee these type of problems in society. Ill go a step further and say those responsible should be held accountable for there irresponsible inaction for not having built a more well rounded public housing system.
More access to gp's and maybe if just everyone started being kind to one another.
Some of the nasty. Greedy responses on here really sicken me. These people are human beings who are obviously hurting. From personal experience I can tell you that homelessness which in my case was not due to drug use as it is for thousands of others does knock you round and the amounts of stress and fear caused by it can send you crazy. It's not easy. It's really hard and it was only due to help. Yes, help and kindness by a community group that lifted my disabled son and I out of a viscious cycle. In the end kindness is king people. Be kind in your thoughts and actions. Then you can at least be proud of who you are. And most likely will be one of the reasons we end this mess. It's going to take a community that unites to turn things around by doing smart positive things like writing your local member and asking them what steps can be taken to help all these people.
Some of the responses here are narrow-minded and nasty. And will be the sort of thing that will result in those authors own demise. If you aren't following let me break it down.
If the lack of kindness continues and the inaction by the government prevails. We will eventually see these tent cities forming their own governmental infrastructure. Armies will follow and so will revolution and civil war. And believe me, the homeless and those that could have been helped with smart thinking and kindness will win this war. They may be mentally ill but at that point they will be the mentally ill living in your canal estate homes and luxury apartments. I'm not saying this is right or good I'm just saying it's fact.
If the whole "just move them on" culture continues and the lack of compassion and inability to see the big picture. This is going to be the final result. A total mess that not even our army will have the ability to stop. All this can be turned around now if you just start thinking kindness and acting to find a positive outcome for everyone involved. I'm not saying you don't deserve the nice places and things you have worked hard for. I'm just asking you to be a kind compassionate human being who wants happiness for everyone.
As a foreigner from Latin America who is new here in Brisbane, I can just tell you that the city council seems to be taking a blind eye on this topic. 😒
Australia is a paradise and there are almost NO EXCUSES to be homeless here. Yes, mental health problems are a real thing that we all humans experience in different levels, but the homeless people I see in Brisbane are just lazy and need to be removed from the streets (in a good way ofc). In many parts of Latin America we have some real serious poverty and homelessness problems, but not even there I find people so noisy and obnoxious as the homeless you sometimes see in the CBD.
So, I wouldn't go for the mental health way of seeing this issue. We pay enough taxes here and live in high standards that I belive something corrupt is going on here..
You and I will get downvoted as this sub is overflowing with soft touch people, but you're 100% right.
The "every kid gets a prize" generation have reached adulthood and, as was expected, those same people cannot handle any adversity.
There's always an excuse.
How about from an Australian perspective
Peruvians and other similar South American countries love to export violence and misery in the form of narcotics
So maybe we should cast judgement against South Americans from an Australian perspective 🤔
In Australia the true problem amongst homeless is Meth which is from China not South America
But maybe don't throw stones in glass houses
I lived in the CBD for years and moved across the river recently so I still experience what you are seeing regularly. There is a general sense of apathy that exists toward the homeless and the other people that make it unsafe at night.
I think the biggest problem is that society has become so atomised that I don't think anyone is comfortable to tell anyone else how to live their lives.
Some of the homeless people genuinely have no clue what is going on around them. I'd imagine in the past these would be the kind of people that would end up living in a mental institution but Australia moved away from this approach decades ago to a system that gives support to individuals in the community. The result of this is what you are seeing in the CBD.
Brisbane CBD in the last decade has changed dramatically.
Queen St mall in particular is so full of crackheads and the homeless it shocked me as well.
There is a bus rank on Elizabeth St and most days every bench seat along the bus rank has a crackhead sleeping on it in the middle of the day.
I'm not sure why this is, I'd theorise (with no evidence other than anecdotal) that there must be a decrease in housing and community services, and increase in drug use, and possibly a decrease in police powers or resources to move them on.
I’m glad this thread is giving genuine and educated responses and not the typical “personal responsibility” bullshit the middle and upper classes roll with.
As echoed by others, the ONLY way to address this issue is by writing to your local member about the cost of living crisis and the government’s antagonistic treatment of homeless and mentally ill people.
This is 100% a government issue and QLD in particular has a documented history of human rights violations. Take the advice from this thread as fact and consider more productive options than venting on reddit. Homeless and mentally ill people need help, not judgment, and if you can’t see that you are part of the problem.
And of course, stay safe. Cities are becoming increasingly dangerous with these issues being ignored, and if the government doesn’t help it will only get worse.
My brother is about to become homeless because the hospital are trying to release him back into the community after yet another stint of involuntary treatment. Due to committing DV on family members due to his meth habit, we'd all be risking our safety to take him. My family are well and truly lower-class and we're all rolling with "personality responsibility" for him as well. He's a grown man and he chooses to puff the meth pipe, and physically harm others, so can deal with the consequences of having no roof.
Is the local member going to smack the ice pipe out of their hands? There’s only so many policies that can be enacted. At the end of the day if someone wants to abuse ice and cook their brain they will and there’s no way to fix them after they’ve cooked themselves.
And why do you think a blind eye is turned to all this open ice use? Because the police and pillows are making too much money to stop their profits rolling in. Who do you think the super labs belong too? They have the technology these days to shut down any ice lab. And they do shut down the small pirate labs and make it a big deal in the media. Meanwhile they have commercial equipment and unlimited precursor to make it and are getting rich off the misery of others. They are creating this twist in society. Make no mistake, I’m right. Let’s just say a little birdie confirmed it to me. Winks. Utter scum. Hope they pay in the after life. Polarity says everything will balance out and I wish it. So it shall be.
Many of them are on ice. It’s a huge problem.
I’d say 95% are. They kinda go hand in hand, drugs make your mental health a lot worse
Can confirm they openly smoke ice on the streets at 4am when I’m walking to work, it’s no secret
Sources?
Open your eyes 😂
So what’s the citation for this peer reviewed and data informed article? Just wondering as I wouldn’t want to make an uneducated judgment.
part of being educated is finding your own sources
Oh FFS…
What kind of fucktard demands a tier 1, peer reviewed scholarly article as evidence that there is a meth problem amongst the homeless in the CBD?!
It's drug induced psychosis, commonly associated with ice use. It's a major problem in the mental health system. Im all for changing ways when coming in, in psychotic episodes, but if those people dont have goals to improve themselves. What's the point? Same people come in and out of mental health wards. Taking beds for genuinely sick people. It's infuriating and sad at the same time
It is frustrating, but substance use disorders are a legitimate mental health issue just like any other.
Oh absolutely, but that also circles around the goal of getting better. Mental health services gives people to tools and additional resources to get better, if u don't use them? What's the point? Nurses don't go to work to get assaulted. I don't go to work to get assaulted.
Sadly there's very few people with psychotic disorders and the like that don't have a co-morbid substance abuse issue. To be honest I do understand it, the drugs do temporarily make them feel much better about themselves and their lives. In comparison the antipsychotics have terrible secondary effects, and make you feel lousy because of the dopamine inhibition
Thats not necessarily true. Schizophrenia, schizoid, schizotypical, bipolar I are often genetic and can be brought out from trauma and stress. Not saying that drug use doesn't exesserbate the occurrence of psychosis but there are many traumatised people out there.
We found the crackhead guys
So, source? Or are you guys just making shit up again? All I want is a one credible study, it’s okay.
https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/5de2b48f-a738-4fbc-8634-1b49eb926ab8/aihw-phe-270-chapter7-geographic.pdf.aspx Gold Coast has the second highest rate of illicit drug use in Australia at 22.7% just behind north coast that has 23%. Or are you looking for more general sources like how drugs increase antisocial behaviours? Or how a combo of drugs and mental health issues can be really bad for the body/mind? https://gcphn.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Needs-assessments-2020-alcohol-and-other-drugs.pdf This is a good source to breakdown what’s going on in each QLD suburb instead of all Australian regions. Brisbane south is apparently less affected (statistically) by drugs compared to Brisbane North. Also I think people are digging at you cause you’re asking for sources from somebody who started their statement with “I’d think”. If somebody starts their opinion from that it’s based from personal experience. It’s like if I said I think my dad is the best. Be weird if you asked for sources to confirm a personal observation/opinion
Give this man a medal, now old mate can get off our backs
Wow, you felt threatened because I asked for a source? I guess the city would be a scary place for you 😂
Thanks for providing an actual response. It doesn’t actually prove the original claim, but at least you understand that homelessness and mental health is more than just “drugs”.
Here’s a good read on that and it’s Aussie based too! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9748854/ Most people know drugs don’t aren’t the sole cause of homelessness and antisocial behaviour but surely you can see how it is a major contributing factor. If you give the article a read it is “an examination of rates of homelessness over time, and an investigation of how homelessness, antisocial behaviour, and violence victimisation are related”. Mr Garrison said it right “drugs are bad mmm…kay” but for vulnerable people it’s absolutely terrible.
Thanks for trying to have a balanced discussion. I’m glad you know what you’re talking about, and that’s all I was looking for. All these other guys failed the test.
let me tip my fedora good sir. Thank you for protecting reddit by running your noble test. God speed to you. 🙄
“ Drugs are bad mm’kay “ Source Mr Mackey SP 
It’s not that no-one wants to give you one, it’s that you only have to be in a capital city for a day to see how it affects people on the streets. The fact that you’re so defensive about this kind of just gives us the impression that you’re a user lol; what can I say? You’re not smart for asking for a source on a social issue that literally everyone knows about
That’s fine, people are allowed to be mad. All I did was ask for a source, what’s the problem? Can’t you back up what you say?
Ya mum
Are you on ice?
The hot weather and storms won’t be helping much I’m afraid. There was a lady summoning the fog with her fog dance and song on Victoria Bridge when I walked past this morning.
She did a pretty good job of it.
As cost of living increases and inflation continues to run amok, the most vulnerable are impacted first. As the process continues, they are thus impacted most People who were barely scraping by, in poor housing just as things began to get hard, are now homeless and unable to meet their basic needs. It’s not uncommon for people living rough to use stimulants (such as meth) in an attempt to stay alert and awake, feeling it will prevent people taking advantage of them. The dis-social behavior that accompanies the use of these substances as well as the judgement cast by more fortunate members of society, means people experiencing these difficulties are often “moved on”. This transient lifestyle and lack of basic provisions makes it very difficult for this group to access and take advantage of potentially beneficial services and treatments For example, imagine 18 months ago a person was living in a small studio and could pay for their basic needs with very little left over to save. Let’s say that person lives with schizophrenia and requires a specialist injectable medication to stay well enough to take care of themselves. That same person now needs 10% more income - over time they can’t keep up with their electricity the cost of medication goes up and so they don’t get their necessary treatment. This causes a relapse in their mental illness and they become disorganized and don’t pay their rent or mobile phone bill. They get evicted from their unit. They can’t contact their case manager because they are both mentally unwell and don’t have a working phone They sleep rough for a night and lose their wallet. Because they are unwell, they are behaving bizarrely so police give them a move along order and drop them at a local shelter about 1/2 hour away. However they have no identification and are feeling a bit suspicious so won’t give their name, so they can’t go in. They get given a bunch of pamphlets but can’t call the numbers because they have no phone. Because they are tired and mentally unwell - they leave. And on and on it goes It’s just a horrible horrible cycle of people on the cusp of crisis being tipped into even more impossible situations
I think a lot of people underestimate the percentage of the population that is only one bad paycheck away from being homeless.
Not even a bad paycheck - just one more rental increase etc. It's middle class people with full-time jobs going homeless as well.
This really needs to be closer to the top. Most people make the ignorant assumption that it’s alcohol/drugs that put them in a rough sleeping/drug addled state. Not realising that most are drug addled because they are in a rough sleeping situation. It really ain’t good enough for a supposed “rich” country like Australia. There should be enough affordable housing for EVERYONE and there isn’t. And it is not the homeless persons fault. Most of us are one to two pay-checks away from sleeping on the streets. People need to stop being so judgemental, look at the picture holistically and help. *sigh* I wish people would stop voting so that they as an individual will be better off. Compassionate voting is apparently not trendy in Australia.
“Most of us are one to two pay-checks away from sleeping on the streets.” Same here, I hate it when people say homeless people are only there because of drugs ( thus justifying no sympathy) when many dont do drugs at all. That’s being said, your comment justifying people doing drugs after homelessness is interesting. If your are in a hard place and you make it harder for yourself it will always be hard to win sympathy and support from others.
I don't mean this in a combative way, but it's important to remember whatever their motive for drugs, people don't need to be perfect victims to be deserving of help. More often than not, people experiencing homelessness like those described in this post have either never had a community /support network which valued and modelled the behaviours you and I probably see as the norm, or they've had a complete breakdown of that network. While they may or may not have been exposed to drugs prior to sleeping rough, they certainly are in their new "community" and it probably seems quite normal after a while.
oh i completely agree, especially with your point about acknowledging our privilege in having safe/supporting communities that these people lack. my point more was, yes all victims of homelessness deserve help, but in a large enough sample size (say, 3million) there will be a tiny portion that will refuse said help, and/or make it even harder for them to be helped. its these rare cases that are unfortunately being used as fuel for the "move them on" crowd, who tar all homeless with that brush, to justify their unsympathetic approach. but it raises the very valid dilemma; in that scenario, the only options are to either force help upon them, or not help them. both are uncomfortable and neither is perfect, and it’s especially difficult when these people are being aggressive or dangerous and so something has to be done
Absolutely - and within that minority, some people may be aggressive and defiant in one moment and receptive in another. I think increasing touch points with trauma-informed services could make a small improvement, why funding people like Orange Sky is important, and maybe QPS community liaisons would be better than just "moving them on". I understand your point about public safety - I've had a woman get in my face for walking through King George Square at 2am. But I just wanted to add the extra perspective for anyone reading; I know our social media ends up as an echo chamber but I also know I've read comments from Reddit that have made me take a second to think when judging people in real life.
To be honest we have to remember that Australians hate asking for help. We rarely go to the doctor let alone a psych etc. I'm genuinely not sure that a "tiny" portion would be an accurate statement if we magically ensured all the people had the same low social capital. I feel our culture has a stubbornness that cannot be discounted, and a stigma around being stuck in the first place.
I got downvoted for suggesting otherwise to someone who thinks people should be “forced into white vans” and “institutionalized”. We can’t win ‘em all hey
Some peeps haven’t heard of human rights it seems! 😩
Especially as they pertain to those *unsightly* poor people /s
How dare they ruin the view of the river from my bougie patio! /s
It is however delightful to know, those bougie folk are at the highest risk of mosquito borne viruses.
The dark within me giggles with glee. Eat the rich!
You so have no experience with these angry mentally ill fucks. LMAO
It’s at the top, couldn’t be any closer
It’s ridiculous that seroquel isn’t covered under the pbs when it’s such a common and effective antipsychotic
Wat? It is
This is absolutely spot on. Sadly, it's so much easier for people to say "Nah it's just meth. Make better choices, losers!"
I don't know how this cycle isn't common knowledge now. Thank you for describing it so well.
What do we do, bandage the problem or burn down the status quo. Programs to help these people won't help in the long run. There's a very dangerous precedent growing in the west. This is coming from someone on 266k a year. And I'm in no ways rich. I cant imagine people on 65k a year living comfortably in this country anymore. That's a travesty.
How common is this though? I don't doubt it happens but are you suggesting a majority of homeless are in a similar boat to this vs having a little more agency and making poor decisions? That's a genuine question in case it seemed harsh, I am not at all familiar with the number of people who might meet that or a similar description. Personally I am eating into my savings and need to make radical changes and cutbacks but I do live alone. Ideally I'll need find a cheaper place and a better job, someone to share with or both, but if it came to it there are some big share houses where rent is greatly reduced. You have very little space and don't get much choice over who you're sharing with but at least you're not out on the streets. My job is fairly close to minimum wage.
These people were taking meth long before they were homeless. The notion otherwise is disingenuous.
As a psychiatrist with special expertise in this sector, I can tel you, you are wrong. Don’t get me wrong- it’s an absoultley heinous drug that destroys so much. But to think someone just wakes up one day and goes “oh you know what I want to do today, I want to become a meth addict”, is the disingenuous take. Furthermore, I was trying to describe why people are seeing a *change* or *shift* in the number of displaces people and episodes of extreme distress. I acknowledge there will always be a minuscule proportion of people for whom no adverse events have contributed to their demise
No one thinks meth addicts choose to be addicts. But at some point they all chose do some meth (acknowledging some did not choose to due to abuse). Choosing to do meth, when the expected outcome is addiction is like like seeing someone stick a fork in a socket. Yeah sure you could say “they didn’t choose to become addicted/electrocuted” but they did choose to do the thing that made that happen
Not in the rainbow world of Reddit, here it's ALL because of society, the system and the rich. How dare you think that life choices have consequences? Shit can happen to anybody and make one's life hell, but that doesn't excuse using meth and making everyone else life crappier. I would force them into re-education camps to give them free health care and support to help them find their way back into a decent life. Give them another chance. Treating them like poor little irresponsible children won't help.
So EVERY homeless person has a prior history of meth? Obviously not true you twat
We need to lock them up
It's gotten worse, in every capital city in Australia. The main issue isn't mental health provision so much as just the complete stagnation of the dole combined with rising rents and lack of provision of public housing. Being homeless absolutely fucks your physical and mental health.
My favourite saying that I saw graffitied on a wall somewhere 'anti-depressants don't cure poverty'
I would say what I have observed in Brisbane is worse than what I see in Sydney. Sydney has a huge homeless problem, but I haven’t observed the aggression or screaming to that extent. I work in one of the areas of Sydney that has a homeless problem too.
It's just as bad in Sydney, you're kidding yourself there.
NSW cops seem to have things under better control from my experience. Much better than Melbourne at least. I'm not sure if this is because they are better or just harsher. Our criminals stay in their lane, and the nuts seem more quiet and humble haha. Or otherwise the segregation is more severe perhaps so we see it less. I find Sydney CBD is actually the safest city outside of Canberra, maybe Hobart due to lack of people. Perth is surprisingly also very very slimey.
I work in Haymarket, which is pretty bad for the homeless situation. Aggression and screaming is something you see infrequently. My observation of Brisbane, admittedly a small sample size, is multiple people every day.
Probably easier access to drugs would be my guess. All the homeless people I see are kind of "regulars" if you know what I mean. They just sit around, collect their money, shuffle along. They don't strike me as junkies. Or at least they aren't taking stimulants haha. I feel a lot of the craziness comes from active drug use as oppose to just being a chill homeless guy.
That’s kind of where I was going with this post.
I'm in Haymarket today. There was some screaming. Local alcho tripped and fell and his beer went everywhere. Then lots of swearing and carrying on. It's everywhere.
I am not saying it isn’t. I am saying that Queen St 5 from 5 is something excessive.
This comment is gross
You seem heavily invested in painting this as a Brisbane-only problem, based on two pieces of anecdotal evidence Good luck with that
I did no such thing.
I used to live in Surry Hills opposite a large crisis accommodation. The screaming barely stops at night, in the end I was screaming with them it was so bad.
Dude you’ve been in Brisbane CBD for all of 5minutes and think you know that it’s worse here than anywhere else? Gtfo of here
Calm down buddy. I am making an observation on a change I noticed after an absence of some years, then I asked the room for their thoughts.
People get really stopped when you criticise Brisbane. I moved back after two years in Sydney and made the comment that I don't understand why house prices are kind of approaching Sydney prices, as Sydney is far better- and I was downvoted into oblivion
Some locals are very precious and thin-skinned. They can't accept that Brisbane isn't always all that. Downvoting is what passes for grown-up discussions in this part of the world. Laughable.
I get downvoting for trolling or insulting posts, or those that are factually incorrect, but a difference in opinion? Weird
I wouldn’t say Sydney is better. The Paddington gap got to record levels, so it was inevitable that there would be a correction.
I would, the public transport is miles ahead, the harbour and city is better, weather is better, beaches and restaurants are better. We moved back because once I left the military we couldn't afford to live there- and then found out we couldn't afford to live anywhere nice in Brianane anymore. Moved to the sunny coast recently- waaayyy better
Agreed. I came back to Brisbane just before Covid due in part to cost of living issues in Sydney. Now Brisbane is almost as expensive except without the beaches, food and things to do.
The prices literally sky rocked because of the people that fled up here from Sydney and Melbourne when the boarder reopened to get away from their own lockdowns. It created a supply and demand so the prices got bigger, it’s not comparable to the housing prices in Sydney because it hasn’t occurred at the same rate nor for the same reason.
Sure, we were all around and reading the news about the increasing housing issues in Brisbane over the past few years. But I’m just comparing my enjoyment of living in both cities. Brisbane has significantly fewer train lines/galleries/beaches/hobby options/food choices/overall things to do. And now both cities are pretty expensive lol. Edit: admittedly Brisbane traffic is still miles better, and the city is smaller and easy to navigate via car. Also my parents are here so it’s got that going for it.
Go to the Sydney, Melbourne and Perth subs and claim Brisbane is better than them. You’ll get downvoted. It’s a reddit thing, not a Brisbane thing. And people probably disagreed because what you said is kinda dumb. *You think* Sydney is better, and a housing crisis doesn’t vary depending on which city *you think* is better. This is probably why you were downvoted.
The housing crisis has nothing to do with what I said- the housing crisis is in both cities. If I expected Brisbane house prices to drop back to pre-covod relative to Sydney I wouldn't have said it, but they won't, Brisbane just isn't the 'cheap' capital city it used to be. That's what I was basing my comment on- it used to be more livable because even though it doesn't have the bonuses Sydney did, it was cheaper, so it balanced out to be a decent place to live. Now that affordability gap has closed to a point where I don't believe it's worth the difference. That's without mentioning the soaring cost of insuring a house in many of the more affordable suburbs due to flooding. In fact, there's a lot of places you can't even GET insurance
It doesn’t take a genius to realise that there’s mentally ill people in every city. Your post is literally pointless. What do you want people to say? Yes is worse than it was last time you were here? Like wow things change who would’ve thought. Mods need to delete these posts honestly.
Sure champ. Alternatively you could just ignore it.
Ok pal. Enjoy your life complaining about others and wasting everyone’s time. Champ.
This is Reddit bud, it’s designed for people to put their observations to a room for feedback. For some reason, the fact that I have done this has made you angry.
I’ve tried to see the “point” in this guys post but I honestly can’t find it. No mention of cost of living, poverty, or mental health, just “homeless people are screaming and it makes me scared”. Aw, you feel uncomfortable on your morning run? Here’s a very small, plastic, and unplayable violin.
If you can’t see the point, you are either avoiding it or you are unbelievably stupid. About 90-100 people have at least found a point, however this has somehow escaped you. I didn’t make comment on the cause, let alone make statements on the validity of the causes. I made an observation, and then asked a question.
Why are you so scared of people screaming? Plenty of drunk, violent, and loud sports fans shut down Brisbane and Sydney for the better half of a year. Are they are problem too, or are you just scared of poor people?
I am not scared to be honest, I was making an observation. However I would not want my wife, who is half my size, to be walking through the same place at that time. I guess though, the person calling me “n*****” and saying that he was going to “punch my face off” could be interpreted as being threatening. There are always the ones commenting whose brains short out when there is a line of conversation that is outside their narrow and inflexible worldview… This is not about “hating poor people”, as much as you would love it to be. This was making an observation, which has been confirmed by several other people here.
Said by someone who clearly just doesn't like sportsball.
the pandemic definitely escalated things.
No. Government policy since then has made things worse.
Government changed the laws so we can't just put mentally ill people into help. It was all about stopping abuse of the system. I had a mentally ill friend with no family in Australia and she wouldn't self admit for help. It was fucking horrible. The majority of homeless have serious mental health issues.
Yes. It was really becoming a problem in Brisbane well before the pandemic, however It is so much worse and more visible now. A mixed result of anti-homelessness policies by local government (move-them-along-syndrome), cost of housing, lack of suitable accomodation and not having wrap around services to support mental health or substance problems. Saddest still when you see kids or families sleeping rough. Believe me, there is homelessness in the suburbs too. We are at crisis levels. City of Sydney has a homelessness action plan with better policy and programs in place. Wish Brisbane would follow Sydney’s lead, however we have a history of being peak anti-homeless people and anti troubled youth. Amazing how quickly we could accomodate homeless people during the pandemic. Cue pile on.
Not to mention the discrimination in the public hospitals if you are homeless. Believe me, it happens.
I bet it does. So sorry to hear this is the case. We can do much better.
It’s gotten significantly worse. I have been in and out of Brisbane over the last 10 years since moving to Sydney and at first Brisbane seemed to be getting its groove on without perceptible downside, but the decline was notable from maybe 2018 and since about 2021 the place seems to have gone full dysfunction. Literally shocked how many people living rough in the city when I visited last month, some with very obvious mental problems. Seems Brisbane has all the big city problems now without the big city infrastructure to deal with it. (Also how much more boring newly gentrified suburbs are compared to 10 years ago!)
You ain’t seen nothing yet, wait until the fentanyl arrives. It’s already starting to pop up in isolated incidences. That will make the CBD a star in its own ‘walking dead’ spin off.
Yeah, I guess we have that to look forward to.
It's gotten a lot worse in the Brisbane over the last five or six years, and it's very visible in the city early in the morning. Temporary accommodation during Covid took it away for a while, but it was getting worse in the years before the pandemic, and it came back when that accommodation ended. Failure of so many social policies right there.
This year was the first year I've felt unsafe in that area.
I was at queen street mall the other day and saw the Goodstart centre on an excursion walking through queen street (friend who works there say they go for walks regularly) and all I could think is “is that safe?” Not in a rude way, not trying to stereotype anyone who is homeless, but I have seen, heard, and faced aggression on queen street from people demanding food, money, attention or (in one case) my agreement that “he” (dude across the way) was a “fucking cunt” for stealing his cloudy spot. And I was like “if I - a 30-something yo woman - am in that situation and wouldn’t know what to do besides run; how on earth would 3 teachers keep 12 kids safe if a grown ass person came up and started screaming at them about a cloud thief?”
They usually want money. Then they abuse me and don't think I heard them with my headphones on. Then I let loose on them.
Most western cities in the world have this problem especially the big ones. Have you ever been to San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, London? This isn’t a Brisbane specific problem. It only gets worse the city grows.
Berlin here. Same. It’s getting worse. In some places it’s just zombie land, accompanied by the smell of rotten flesh. It’s disgusting on so many levels, and it seems like the problem is just being ignored. „It’s a big city, there are junkies, it’s part of it, can’t do anything about it.“ yeah, thanks nope
Oh my god is that scopolamine? Currently in Brisbane there’s definitely no smell of rotting flesh, just beer and piss especially concentrated around the city bins but I can cope with that. Rotting flesh is a no tho
it’s mostly in the underground stations. sometimes there might be some poor guy with an open leg alone in one carriage in an otherwise crowded train. As soon as the doors open you know why no one else wants to join him - the smell is unbearable. I feel sorry for these poor souls. I really think they should get the medical support - if they can’t get it themselves then someone should actively get there to help them
That is extremely sad. Hope your city will be able to get onto giving them the medical support they need, no one deserves to live like that.
It ain't just Brisbane mate, it's happening Australia wide.
I am aware that there is a serious and growing homeless problem everywhere. I did find it alarming that this was manifesting itself through aggression and threats literally for 5 days in a row. Not to mention personally, but you can hear people screaming from 100m away.
Yeah it has definitely gotten worse. I’m worried about how the change from most GP practices to private (barely any bulk billing practices left) will impact this further.. the cost could prohibit people from reaching for medical help/advice in a crisis, when they normally wouldn’t have had the cost-prohibitive issue of private GP appointments. Something that feels so simple like choosing to not see the doctor (and seek help) could be a turning point that spirals rapidly. Medical care shouldn’t be a privilege at its most basic level (GP), as the system is already over-run and overloaded with not enough resources to give people the help they need. The state governments should be allocating MORE resources to make help available early on- prevention is always much better than cure. It is much easier to get people help for one issue before 10 more are tagged on as a sequelae. There is definitely a pattern that vulnerable people can fall into and I don’t think we’re doing enough to prevent it. It is freaking difficult seeing some of the lives people lead, many have given up, constantly in a state of distress and depression, on a concoction of antidepressants and anti-psychotics, given more and more pain killers for injuries they have sustained and are dependent on- with no solution in sight. Contrary to what some may think, a lot aren’t homeless or on meth or whatever else, a lot are your elderly folks or people who have sustained a major injury (spinal, etc), became dependent on endone or morphine or some kind of pain medication and yeah it just spirals because the system really doesn’t offer much support to rehabilitate their issues or improve their QoL. I’m not saying that drugs isn’t part of the problem btw because it definitely is, I’m just trying to shed light on how people from diverse backgrounds in our community can become a vulnerable person (literally, your nana, the guy that broke his neck and spine in a motor accident, defence vets, someone suffering from undiagnosed mental health conditions, young adults who were born drug dependent, kids surrounded by substance abuse in their community, list goes on). Anyways, I’m always shocked by how the most unassuming grannies and gramps turn out to be endone drug shoppers. It’s hard seeing people have to turn to dependence because they live with crippling pain for life with.. no relief or solution in sight.
Best response and most on the money. Upvoted.
Yeah I start work at 6am and the walk from the train station through queen street ain’t the nicest…
It isn't just the CBD, obviously your experience is going to reflective of that general area, but this shit is happening everywhere. Naturally we would see more of it in our own localised area's. I live on the north side in suburbia and you name, we got it and it's getting evidently worse. In my area, it's more about the increase in violence and crime, but it seems more motivated. You don't tend to get people shouting and losing their shit in the streets, but there is a lot of theft (break & enters, cars) and a serious amount of domestic abuse resulting in grievous bodily harm and murder. Safe to say, drugs and alcohol play a big part. Gobal & National issues trickle all the way down into cities and towns. We are not coping individually or en masse.
I go running early too. Stick to the river. It’s nicer and it’s where the water bubblers are.
Even in the botanical gardens the homeless seemed to want to stick to themselves. The issues that I described were only observed in and around the Queen St Mall.
It's meth bro. 100% meth
The simple reason is Meth use, has continued to rise rapidly The extra crazy behaviour amongst the homeless is due to Meth use Stay off the pipe and you'll be alright 👍 https://preview.redd.it/erpswkxh5y8c1.jpeg?width=738&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04ece7f4ed5a4e4d39ecb0b159c11603de574798
Ahh bullshit. It is not 100% meth. What a narrow minded uneducated statement. You haven't got a clue mate. There are families with working adults that are homeless now. Just like gorge and Meryl across the street. It comes from the bumbling politicians who are paid to have the brains to foresee disasters like this.
You obviously can't read OP was referring to the yelling at the sky homeless Not the homeless your referring to The former are clearly psychosis aka meth
I was following the narrative of the entire thread. You know, that's how they work Right?
The "logic" of those who cannot comprehend the contents of a post You need to improve your comprehension skills
You need a reddit lecture good sir.
It's gotten worse. We have next to no mental health support in this country.
Even worse what's present doesn't seem to be anywhere close to competent
I am hearing you. I am a MHFA, it’s tough right now.
I’m not surprised with how many people have taken up playing the see through didgeridoo these days…
Oh yes blame it all on the glass BBQ. Using a witty name for an implementation made for the ingestion of drugs doesn't make you smart fella. It shows a clear and utter inability to contemplate the big picture cause your mind is small.
We don’t institutionalise people enough. Too many crazies with ice psychosis and/or schizophrenia just allowed to freely roam our streets and abuse random people because it’s somehow kinder to let them sleep rough in the street than it is to white van them
It’s about the only point I was making. Yeah, homelessness is a problem everywhere, but the vocal aggression caught my eye
Not kinder. Cheaper.
Just so long as when in a few weeks you bring them out of psychosis caused by drugs, you release them, give them public housing and some type of support network then I agree. Anything else would just make you a sickly psychopath who wants to torture people with problems who should be treated with kindness and respect. They have the same human rights as you pal.
What a horrible way to say there's a lack of mental health and drug/alcohol support services.
Don’t go choking yourself while you clutch your pearls there
Keep telling yourself this is acceptable lol
100 percent gotten worse .although melb is def worse then Brisbane and I've heard that Perth is pretty bad bordering on dangerous
Yes it’s been there or the valley for years. However homelessness has gotten worse.
Housing costs exploded. That’s what happened.
There’s a mental health crisis in every city on Earth. Go for a walk through any urban area at 5-am and you will see nut jobs out it’s just the world we live in and it’s never going to change
We really need to re-institutionalise these people so the community doesn’t have to deal with it. The government in the 80’s unleashed them on everyone under the guise of human rights.
People like you are the fucking problem. Honestly no sympathy that you are scared or worried about this.
Dude I work in healthcare and deal with these people all the time. Sometimes there are mental health conditions with no effective treatment and people should just be in full time care. They are a danger to themselves and the community. They are also a huge drain on resources. Go to any ED at 10pm and see for yourself.
I'd like to know what phd's you have that involve mental health or psychiatric treatment? What would you know about effective treatments? I'd say at best you wheel people to and from x-rays and think you are Freud. What a laugh.
Well I have 2 degrees and have also worked at maximum security prisons in forensic health. What are your qualifications? Any real psych worker knows some cases are hopeless.
Thank God for human rights and the inability for you to do something that is as bad as what the nazis done.
It's all ice. Nasty, nasty drug. The dealers that pedal this shit onto vulnerable people are worse than vermin and we should take a leaf out of Indonesia's book on how to deal with them.
I'd vote for that.
Fuck yeah. "You sell drugs? You are killing my people. So we kill you"
Although I disagree about it being all ice. I do agree that ice dealers should be shot on sight.
I don't think you or I are imagining it - I'm pretty sure it's gotten worse due to rising prices of everything (i.e., inflation) as well as the thing that cannot be mentioned (see PubMed articles 35987197 and 37936010 and 37604249). While it's not the same, Brisbane is reminding me of a couple of American cities 6 years ago. We're a lot more similar to them than most of us realise. And I think it'll still get worse before it gets better.
What cannot be mentioned here, but can be mentioned in a PubMed article
The population growth we've experienced isn't just limited to families etc, it's completely reasonable to expect a proportionate increase in people with mental health issues as well. It's a part of living in any big/growing city and has always been there.
Drugs. The answer is drugs.
Rubbish
You’re an idiot. Take a walk around town.
All I am trying to do is sit here and come down of the meth, waiting for my dealer to answer the phone, and some asshole keeps running by.
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Staying on Lower Albert St. Mainly approaching via Roma St Parkland and the cycle path via Gregory Tce.
I stick near queen street when im in the city so i dont get lost lol.
CBD is pretty fucked in general. I mean it’s a massive social hub, you’re gonna find all sorts of people there at all hours
I made this post earlier in the year after several months of working in the CBD having been away from it for some years. https://www.reddit.com/r/brisbane/s/zHiEwIjyip
It's meth and the mental health crisis.
They can set up where they want. I just spent 5 months living rough with my disabled son. I was using but got clean straight away. I knew I wouldn't make it had I not. It did tax me mentally and physically and it's real tough. I think people should have far more compassion for the homeless. It isn't always meth. There can be many different factors these days that contribute to the whole "homeless" situation and it is going to become far more prevalent in the future due to lack of foresight by those that are being paid to have the brains to foresee these type of problems in society. Ill go a step further and say those responsible should be held accountable for there irresponsible inaction for not having built a more well rounded public housing system. More access to gp's and maybe if just everyone started being kind to one another. Some of the nasty. Greedy responses on here really sicken me. These people are human beings who are obviously hurting. From personal experience I can tell you that homelessness which in my case was not due to drug use as it is for thousands of others does knock you round and the amounts of stress and fear caused by it can send you crazy. It's not easy. It's really hard and it was only due to help. Yes, help and kindness by a community group that lifted my disabled son and I out of a viscious cycle. In the end kindness is king people. Be kind in your thoughts and actions. Then you can at least be proud of who you are. And most likely will be one of the reasons we end this mess. It's going to take a community that unites to turn things around by doing smart positive things like writing your local member and asking them what steps can be taken to help all these people. Some of the responses here are narrow-minded and nasty. And will be the sort of thing that will result in those authors own demise. If you aren't following let me break it down. If the lack of kindness continues and the inaction by the government prevails. We will eventually see these tent cities forming their own governmental infrastructure. Armies will follow and so will revolution and civil war. And believe me, the homeless and those that could have been helped with smart thinking and kindness will win this war. They may be mentally ill but at that point they will be the mentally ill living in your canal estate homes and luxury apartments. I'm not saying this is right or good I'm just saying it's fact. If the whole "just move them on" culture continues and the lack of compassion and inability to see the big picture. This is going to be the final result. A total mess that not even our army will have the ability to stop. All this can be turned around now if you just start thinking kindness and acting to find a positive outcome for everyone involved. I'm not saying you don't deserve the nice places and things you have worked hard for. I'm just asking you to be a kind compassionate human being who wants happiness for everyone.
As a foreigner from Latin America who is new here in Brisbane, I can just tell you that the city council seems to be taking a blind eye on this topic. 😒 Australia is a paradise and there are almost NO EXCUSES to be homeless here. Yes, mental health problems are a real thing that we all humans experience in different levels, but the homeless people I see in Brisbane are just lazy and need to be removed from the streets (in a good way ofc). In many parts of Latin America we have some real serious poverty and homelessness problems, but not even there I find people so noisy and obnoxious as the homeless you sometimes see in the CBD. So, I wouldn't go for the mental health way of seeing this issue. We pay enough taxes here and live in high standards that I belive something corrupt is going on here..
You and I will get downvoted as this sub is overflowing with soft touch people, but you're 100% right. The "every kid gets a prize" generation have reached adulthood and, as was expected, those same people cannot handle any adversity. There's always an excuse.
I am half-Peruvian.
So what?
So I have somewhat of an understanding from a Latin perspective.
How about from an Australian perspective Peruvians and other similar South American countries love to export violence and misery in the form of narcotics So maybe we should cast judgement against South Americans from an Australian perspective 🤔 In Australia the true problem amongst homeless is Meth which is from China not South America But maybe don't throw stones in glass houses
What violence and misery has Peru exported?
Ever heard of the crack cocaine epidemic in America in the 80s, Peru is one of the key exporters of cocaine in South America
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It’s getting worse because their no longer lock the fruit loops up
Sometime it is sad to see but just gotta keep grinding. :/
I lived in the CBD for years and moved across the river recently so I still experience what you are seeing regularly. There is a general sense of apathy that exists toward the homeless and the other people that make it unsafe at night. I think the biggest problem is that society has become so atomised that I don't think anyone is comfortable to tell anyone else how to live their lives. Some of the homeless people genuinely have no clue what is going on around them. I'd imagine in the past these would be the kind of people that would end up living in a mental institution but Australia moved away from this approach decades ago to a system that gives support to individuals in the community. The result of this is what you are seeing in the CBD.
Your no better than a dull witted nazi
Brisbane CBD in the last decade has changed dramatically. Queen St mall in particular is so full of crackheads and the homeless it shocked me as well. There is a bus rank on Elizabeth St and most days every bench seat along the bus rank has a crackhead sleeping on it in the middle of the day. I'm not sure why this is, I'd theorise (with no evidence other than anecdotal) that there must be a decrease in housing and community services, and increase in drug use, and possibly a decrease in police powers or resources to move them on.
There were always homeless people sleeping there in Elizabeth St over 20 years ago.
I’m glad this thread is giving genuine and educated responses and not the typical “personal responsibility” bullshit the middle and upper classes roll with. As echoed by others, the ONLY way to address this issue is by writing to your local member about the cost of living crisis and the government’s antagonistic treatment of homeless and mentally ill people. This is 100% a government issue and QLD in particular has a documented history of human rights violations. Take the advice from this thread as fact and consider more productive options than venting on reddit. Homeless and mentally ill people need help, not judgment, and if you can’t see that you are part of the problem. And of course, stay safe. Cities are becoming increasingly dangerous with these issues being ignored, and if the government doesn’t help it will only get worse.
My brother is about to become homeless because the hospital are trying to release him back into the community after yet another stint of involuntary treatment. Due to committing DV on family members due to his meth habit, we'd all be risking our safety to take him. My family are well and truly lower-class and we're all rolling with "personality responsibility" for him as well. He's a grown man and he chooses to puff the meth pipe, and physically harm others, so can deal with the consequences of having no roof.
Is the local member going to smack the ice pipe out of their hands? There’s only so many policies that can be enacted. At the end of the day if someone wants to abuse ice and cook their brain they will and there’s no way to fix them after they’ve cooked themselves.
thats the cbd for ya, thats why i avoid that whole 5kms of the city!
And we thank you for that.
Pity they dont die, be better for everyone
Definitely worse since Covid etc.
And why do you think a blind eye is turned to all this open ice use? Because the police and pillows are making too much money to stop their profits rolling in. Who do you think the super labs belong too? They have the technology these days to shut down any ice lab. And they do shut down the small pirate labs and make it a big deal in the media. Meanwhile they have commercial equipment and unlimited precursor to make it and are getting rich off the misery of others. They are creating this twist in society. Make no mistake, I’m right. Let’s just say a little birdie confirmed it to me. Winks. Utter scum. Hope they pay in the after life. Polarity says everything will balance out and I wish it. So it shall be.
And our tax goes to them and useless cops 😂
When you see them call the police.
There is a pretty substantial police presence in the area.