Chester homeless protest group moves into third squat in as many weeks

They originally took over the Hamilton House office block in the city centre on Wednesday, October 2.

Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC), which owns the building, was forced to secure an eviction order which was granted by a county court judge.

The group of around 15 people then moved to an empty, privately-owned building next to Telford’s Warehouse last Thursday (October 10) but were swiftly given their marching orders.

On Sunday they moved to the former Northgate Medical Centre next to the Bull and Stirrup pub in Upper Northgate Street.

They are protesting about a perceived lack of housing support from Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) and from the 24/7 support hub at Hamilton House run by council contractor forfutures.

They say there is no reason why they should endure nights on the streets when there are empty buildings available and plan to continue squatting throughout the winter.

Wayne Lammond, the group’s spokesman, previously told the Standard: “This Government and the council need to pull their finger out and build some social housing flats.

“We need one and two-bedroom flats. Forget all the student accommodation which they keep on building.

“Richard Beacham [CWaC’s cabinet member for housing] needs to start asking for more money from the Government.”

Cllr Beacham said: “There is no quick fix - there is a queue for beds in supported housing and for more permanent social housing too. We are always looking for properties to house homeless people. If you are a landlord and have properties available then please get in touch.

“Clearly this is a complex issue, and like everyone else we don’t want people to have to live on our streets. We need more houses and we need people to have access to support services where funding is increasing, not decreasing. Until then homelessness will continue to be a national crisis that is getting worse, not better.

“Homelessness is directly linked to the impact of austerity and the lack of adequate and long term funding for mental health and addiction services. This is leaving police and housing officers and health professionals on the front line of a system that should be about changing lives and not about managing a crisis. Anyone who has ever tried to support a homeless person will know that the system is stressful to navigate for those who need help and for those who work in it everyday. That’s why we continue to heavily value the support we receive from our partners in the voluntary and faith sectors - especially in Chester and Northwich - without whom this situation would be even worse.

“In the coming weeks we will review some of the local provision and will make sure that service users, staff and community groups are able to contribute their ideas as part of this.”

Janet Lawton, Homelessness and Contract Management Lead at forfutures, said: “The facility at Hamilton House provides a vital service for so many people across Chester who are either homeless or facing becoming homeless. It allows us to provide a one-to-one assessment of someone’s needs and build a package of support that can help them move away from life on the streets into a safe and secure home.

“We continue to work with our partners to bring an end to homelessness.”

The council is running an engagement on the Homelessness Strategy that invites service users, residents, businesses and volunteer groups to give their views on how Cheshire West and Chester Council should provide effective support for homeless people over the next five years.

The 12-week consultation on the strategy runs until November 1, 2019, and suggests a set of five key priorities along with actions to deliver these.

For information and to share your views in an online survey visit the council's website.

To obtain a paper copy of the survey or to share your views: Email: housingstrategy@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk; Telephone: 0151 3566421; or write to: Housing Strategy, Civic Offices, Civic Way, Ellesmere Port CH65 0BE.