THORNLANDS residents are pushing for a halfway house on Woodlands Drive to be moved outside Redland city.
The facility, which rents premises at The Nazarene Theological College, has been home to more than 24 criminals since 2013.
Woodland Drive residents gathered on Tuesday to discuss their campaign, against the rehab facility, run by Breaking Through Transitional Services chief executive Yvonne Murray.
The meeting preceded a police raid on the facility on Wednesday, when three men were charged.
The residents said together they had experienced 13 break-ins, three cars stolen, a shooting and an attempted murder in the area in the past 18 months.
Woodlands Drive resident Marlene Wiles said she feared for her life after her house was broken into twice in the past year - once in the afternoon and the second time in the early hours of the morning.
"Fortunately, our dog started barking after the person removed a wooden panel from my lounge window," Ms Wiles said.
"He went through some of our items in the back yard. We then called police because we believed the offender had gone next door. He was later found asleep in the neighbour's car."
Resident Jim Horton said other neighbours had confronted men from the facility after they found them in backyard sheds.
"A small local printing company found a box of unopened syringes had been mistakenly delivered to its doorstep," he said.
"We've had helicopters flying over chasing some of these offenders along Woodlands Drive and everyone is terrified for their lives and for their kids.
"This is not the correct place for this type of facility as there is no security surrounding these men, who are not low-risk criminals and are out roaming our streets unpatrolled."
The residents' plight came to a head in August when they contacted Redlands MP Matt McEachan, Redland City mayor Karen Williams and Cleveland police.
Detective Inspector Owen Elloy from Cleveland CIB said the community and police should have been consulted about the location of the facility before it opened at the Thornlands address.
"It calls itself a rehab program ... but it’s a halfway house for high-risk criminals in the middle of the Cleveland District.
"Politicians are now looking at making an application to put through legislation on this.
"Scarce police resources have to accommodate policing the Breaking Through facility."
Mr McEachan said he fully supported the police and community's opposition to the facility being sited at Woodlands Drive and said he did not think there was an appropriate spot in Redlands.
Breaking Through Transitional Services first came to Redland city's attention in 2012 when it rented premises in Victoria Point before being booted to Bainbridge Street in Ormiston.
"Obviously, under the current operational model, the facility is not working for those attending treatment or for the community surrounding it," he said.
But not everyone opposed the Woodlands Drive location.
Nazarene College principal Rob Fringer, who rents the site to the halfway house, said he could not fault his tenant.
However, he said his institute had no other contact with the tenant other than collecting the rent and attending to landlord duties.
"They have been good tenants and they meet all the requirements of being good tenants."
