New homeless camp emerges following the removal of tents from St. Peter’s Square by council bailiffs
- Featured image credit: Greater Manchester Law Centre
A new encampment has been formed following the eviction of dozens of homeless individuals from St. Peter’s Square.
The original camp was cleared by bailiffs in the early hours of this morning (26 February) after the council went to court for an eviction order.
The tents were taken away and disposed of, while homeless people living in them had to take away their belongings.
The council had gone to court for a possession order to clear the camp. Tents were taken away and fed into a refuse wagon and possessions taken away in plastic bags.
Many of those in the tent were refugees, including people fleeing violence in Sudan and Eritrea.
A spokesperson for The Greater Manchester Law Centre said: “GMLC commends the work undertaken by community organisations in Manchester to support people who have been given no option but to sleep rough, but this should always be in addition to statutory services.
“GMLC will continue to support homeless people in Greater Manchester and will pursue cases on behalf of those without.”
A spokeswoman for Mustard Tree charity told NQ: “We’ve been working with people since the tents first appeared outside the town hall, to provide information, support and signposting to other organisations.
“We’ve found this to be a more conducive and dignified approach than trying to do it on the streets. Our hub is warm, welcoming, we provide food and has facilities for people to search for housing and jobs.”
‘Support for the vulnerable’
A council spokesperson told the Manchester Evening News in a statement: “The court order instructing people in the St. Peter’s Square camp to leave the area was carried out successfully this morning.
“This brings to an end the encampment which has been in place there for several months, with fluctuating numbers, occupied by people who are refugees who have been granted the right to remain in the country.
“We have conducted homelessness assessments for people camping there and offered temporary accommodation to everyone who we owed a statutory duty – anyone classed as vulnerable and in priority need. Others on site who were not classed as vulnerable were still offered advice and support, including a personal housing plan, to help them secure accommodation for themselves.
“People were given the choice to pack up and take their tents with them. The only tents which were disposed of were ones which had been abandoned.”