Drama as 20 homeless people take over Hamilton House in Chester under squatters' rights

They moved in on Monday night at around 9pm before changing the locks and barricading themselves in.

The building is also the base for the 24/7 homeless support hub, run by council contractor forfutures.

One service user, who did not wish to be named, came out to speak to The Standard by climbing out of a first floor window.

Video and images by Steve Creswell

Others could be seen in many of the windows and it had been reported that some have been on the roof.

Several said that the recent heavy rain had left them with no other option and they were frustrated that an entire empty building was not being put to use to help them.

The man who spoke to us said: “We are doing this for homeless rights; it’s a peaceful protest.

“We’ve taken over the building under section 6 of Squatters Rights 1977. It’s a building owned by the council so we can be here.

“There are about 20 of us now and we want to bring 4,000 from Manchester who can then use it as a homeless hostel.”

One of the 20 homeless people who have taken over Hamilton House in Chester

Referring to the fact that the homeless hub only takes up the bottom floor, he added: “They’ve put us in the garage. We get constantly knocked back.”

“We want them [Cheshire West and Chester Council and forfutures] to go away and we will run it and ask the public to help us fund a charity.”

A young woman told this newspaper from an open window: “We’ve all just been neglected by these services. We’ve been soaking wet for three days.”

And another added: “This will take as long as it takes until it gets to court. We’re not causing any damage and we won’t disrespect the building.”

Forfutures staff at the building said police had been called last night but could not manhandle the occupiers out.

Officers have been in attendance this morning.

The staff members said they feared for the safety of those inside as the building is not thought to be safe.

The incident comes after charity Share temporarily withdrew from the support hub last week amid concern for the safety of their volunteers.

Images of people inside Hamilton House. Pictures by Steve Creswell

They and another support group, Soul Kitchen, have said there is now an ‘unprecedented’ issue with drugs in the city.

In a statement, Councillor Richard Beacham, Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Growth, said: “We became aware that a group of people accessed the upper floors of Hamilton House overnight. 

“While the ground floor of Hamilton House has been renovated to a good condition and accommodates the homeless assessment hub, the upper floors of this old building are not suitable for people to stay in. 

“The group who have accessed the building are among the most vulnerable members of our community and our teams will be checking on their welfare to ensure that they are safe and provided with the ongoing support they need. 

“We will continue to work with Cheshire Police, the Fire Service, the voluntary sector and forfutures to find an appropriate way forward and to resolve this situation."

Janet Lawton, Strategic Homeless Lead at ForFutures, said: “We are aware that a number of people are occupying the top floor of Hamilton House in Chester, and we are working with partners to ensure the safety of everyone in the building.

“We are very keen to talk to those involved, who are amongst the most vulnerable in our community, so they can make full use of the support available to them. We have made a number of attempts to offer support to the people taking part and we will continue to do so.

“We all want to see an end to homelessness and we are dedicated to providing services and advice to help people into a safe and secure home.”