Council gives move-on order after homeless charity fails to secure permit

In response to a now-deleted Facebook post by Strike It Out founder Kirsten Ritchie the council said was full of "inaccuracies", acting mayor Hugh McKenzie said the council was forced into "correcting an inaccurate narrative".

Cr McKenzie said the decision was not made lightly, but after years of discussions the charity had not come to the table with a workable, formal proposal for mobile showers and sleep pods.

"The City of Launceston has sought to have a constructive and collaborative relationship with Strike it Out, to avoid situations where our homeless community are put at risk," Cr McKenzie said.

"Strike it Out has consistently blamed the City of Launceston for delays to the rollout of its shower and sleeping pod trailer project, despite the council clearly articulating the simple steps required to progress these initiatives.

"Despite multiple engagements with Strike it Out, going back as far as November 2022, we are no further along."

Between November 2022 and July 2024, the council and Ms Ritchie have gone back and forth over the proposal.

Some applications by the charity were rejected by the council, and others withdrawn by Ms Ritchie.

In May 2024 Ms Ritchie asked to trial the shower trailer at the Northern Inveresk car park.

She was asked for more documents including a detailed risk assessment, and told to seek legal advice on privacy concerns.

She was also advised to approach the state government about any possible crown-owned sites, which Ms Ritchie said she did but found no suitable locations.

The charity's two trailers were then parked at the car park, although the sleep pods were not used.

The Examiner understands council officers gave the charity 24 hours to move its trailers, which were parked illegally, from the car park on June 26.

The council said community members raised concerns about anti-social behaviour, drug use and property damage at the car park.

The two trailers were moved, and on July 1 Ms Ritchie made a Facebook post.

The post detailed her side of the story, and said "apparently the people who are sleeping rough down in Invermay have been told they have to move along".

The Strike It Out founder told The Examiner she understood that to be true, however the acting mayor said the council had no plans to move people along.

Ms Ritchie said she had negotiated with the council in good faith over obtaining permits for just the shower trailer, but it seemed council officers did not want to engage.

"They don't want to work with us to give us any permits," she said.

"People are sick of it. They want a safe space. They want to be able to have showers, want to be able to feel human.

"What's wrong with that?"

The acting mayor said it came down to a question of public liability, and council officers had not been satisfied with the risk assessments and other documents provided by Ms Ritchie.

"If Strike it Out is serious about finding a resolution for its shower and sleeping pod trailer projects, we encourage the organisation to work with us on options, which may include their roll-out on private, state or council-owned land," Cr McKenzie said.

"In the meantime we are not confident that the safety and wellbeing of potential sleep pod users is sufficiently addressed by Strike It Out due to the lack of updated documentation and it is on this basis we have asked for the trailers to be removed."

Ms Ritchie said she was prepared to take responsibility for any incidents that occurred, and would not "blame the council".

She said she was considering working with another local government to bring the project to fruition if the City of Launceston council would not accept her proposal.

Cr McKenzie said the council remained committed to working with relevant organisations, and all levels of government, to address the issue of homelessness.

He said Strike It Out had not accepted repeated offers for help.

"It's important to us that our residents and ratepayers understand the reality of this situation and our commitment to those people experiencing homelessness," Cr McKenzie said.

"We as a council are continuing to learn and adapt in an ever-changing space regarding what is a very complex and multi-faceted issue.

"We'll continue to work with all agencies, levels of government and support-providers to achieve better outcomes for our most vulnerable community members."