Kieron Tydd was doing well before the accident.
"I'm a hard-working man, highly motivated," he told AAP, alongside his dog Deefer (d for dog).
That was until he was hit by a semi-trailer that left him with a brain injury he wasn't expected to survive.
"My family turned off my life support. They thought I was going to be a vegetable for the rest of my life, but I kept breathing," he said.
After saying his family withdrew support, Mr Tydd eventually arrived at Wyllie Park, an encampment north of Brisbane set up by the City of Moreton Bay Council.
The free tent camp was established in August as part of a 12-month trial to help people experiencing homelessness.
But it is set to be shut down following threats of legal action by state authorities.
Economic Development Queensland has issued a show cause notice to the council, saying the park is part of a priority development area.
In a letter tabled on Thursday, the state authority promised not to take legal action if the council agreed to demands including evicting campers once their registration expired and not allowing any more on site.
No deadline has been given to date for the camp's closure.
Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said the council would comply and shut it down.
"We backed Wyllie Park in good faith and believe it was successful in providing a safer solution for people experiencing homelessness who have no access to emergency or supportive shelter," he said.
The state government had not been consulted before the council established the encampment, Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said.
"When the council set that camp up, they came from interstate, and one came from jail," he said on Friday of the park's residents.
Mr Bleijie said those impacted had been offered emergency and hotel accommodation.
Beau Hayward, from local charity Nourish St, said offers of accommodation were often a couple of nights in a motel, generally not in the area, and people would have to find their own way back.
"By the time they come back they've got to worry about what's happened to their items - it's all smoke and mirrors," he told AAP.
He conceded some people at the camp had criminal records, but said everyone deserved accommodation.
"If we don't sort that out, this is going to continue," he said.
"We're seeing more people with disabilities, more families, more working people that are requiring our assistance - everyone here is in limbo."
Moreton Deputy Mayor Jodie Shipway said she had met with the state housing minister and talks were "progressing well" for future shelters in the area.
Homelessness Australia said the "cruel" park shutdown reflected a nationwide issue.
"Right across the country, more and more working people are being pushed into homelessness by a cost of living that is for many, becoming unbearable," chief executive Kate Colvin said.
"Australia desperately needs more social and affordable homes built because, frankly, there are already far too many Wyllie Parks."
Park resident Ephraim Menzes is now weighing up his options.
He arrived at the park after losing everything twice - once in a fire and again when his tent was swept away by floodwaters.
Mr Menzes said he had inoperable brain cancer and would rather die in the open.
"There's people here who are in a similar situation. It's a bit of therapeutic place," he told AAP.
Mr Tydd - from Chinchilla, four hours west of Brisbane - said he would be spending his remaining time at the camp enjoying his dog's company.
"She's like a mini-me. She's better behaved than most of the people here - most of the time."
