Squatter booted out without explanation

Contractors working for the state Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) have told a Woolloomooloo squatter that he has to leave the unused site permanently.

Lawrence, who did not divulge his full name, has been living on the empty block at 174 Dowling St across the road from the Old Fitzroy Hotel until he was told to leave two weeks ago, and is now living on the streets. He had been on the same block of land for around two years.

A spokesperson for the LAHC said the Spotless Group had been engaged to repair the fencing, clean the site and clear it of dumped rubbish, as it presented a health and safety risk to local residents.

“The perimeter fence securing the site had been broken at several points and rubbish was being illegally dumped on the property,” said the spokesperson.

“LAHC has not yet spoken with the contractor, but the contractor would likely have asked the person on the site at the time to leave for his own safety.”

The spokesperson confirmed that the fence has now been fixed and access to the site is no longer possible.

Emma Barnett, the homeless support and community development coordinator at Hope Street Urban Compassion, who was approached by Lawrence after he was kicked out of the block, said Lawrence was not given any warning that he was going to have to leave, nor an explanation as to why.

“After he was told to leave he came down to Hope Street, obviously was a little bit worked up because it’s a big deal to have your house being destroyed,” she said.

“He brought a fair bit of stuff down to us at Hope Street and now he’s just wandering around Woolloomooloo with his humongous trolley full of all of his belongings, which were once stationary at his place.”

Ms Barnett spoke to the local Housing NSW office in Surry Hills and to the officers at the local police station, but was given no information on why the site was cleared without any prior notice. She said that Lawrence is likely in his late fifties had been living there for around two years, but that there was a community divide on his residence in the vacant block.

“The Woolloomooloo community is a little bit split,” said Ms Barnett. “There’s a lot of people who are absolutely outraged that he’s been kicked out and then I think there’s a lot of people who possibly live a little bit closer who maybe, like a lot of society, aren’t terribly keen to have a homeless person living near them.”

Local Graeme Curtis met Lawrence while working for the government on the last census and would say hello to him when walking by the Old Fitzroy Hotel. He described Lawrence as a friendly, harmless guy who is known by many of the nearby residents.

“He took over it after it was a community garden,” said Mr Curtis. “He had built a nice little shanty and grew lots of other plants and things. He had a little esky and people would drop him off a bit of milk and things like that.

“I heard he had a battery operated television he re-charged every day and he got about a quarter hour of tele. He occupied himself by writing little poems or stories on the wall which are still there now.”