The camp is in the grounds of a former school Old Groves, a red brick building set in the middle of a large field
A town that is filled with violence and which is overtaken by drug addicts who constantly beg for help, has been revealed.
A peek inside a controversial makeshift camp for the homeless has
exposed it for being a hotbed of Class A drug use, with inhabitants
saying they're desperate for work and a proper home but need a helping
hand.
The camp is based in the grounds of former school Old Groves in the
UK, a red brick building set in the middle of a large field surrounded
by bottle-green school railings.
A tent has been set up on hard concrete, surrounded by rubbish
Since homeless people moved in, Wrexham Council has been forced to
"tolerate the situation" and even paid to have a portable toilet
installed.
Council chiefs say they are hoping to contain the community there in a bid to ward off “other problems arising in other areas”.
Our peek inside the camp showed syringes lying on the floor
But despite claims that the camp creates a positive community space
for those who have fallen on hard times, The Sun has found it to be
riddled with hard drug use and violence.
Neighbouring leafy, suburban private roads - many of which have
large gated houses - the camp has two large blue tents, one large green
marquee and two tiny one-man tents.
The camp was initially claimed to be good for the homeless community, but we saw how brawls and drug use are a regular feature
Many of the camp's inhabitants appear to have been on the streets for long periods of time.
One group of people, including a woman who appears to be struggling
to stay awake, were seen sitting on fold-up chairs throughout the day.
From a distance, the group appears to be quite social.
Those who live at the camp say they are desperate for help
However at close quarters its apparent that the majority of these
people don’t know each other at all - and many appears to be under the
influence of illegal substances.
Some men are sat slightly away from the tents on a step, and appear to be smoking spliffs.
Food packets, bottles and lids are scattered all over the floor, and, worryingly, dozens of used syringes
The majority are men are of ages ranging between their late teens to 50s, but there are four middle-aged women within the group.
One young man, no older than 20, was seen standing zombie-like and silent, eyes to the floor.
One
resident, who looked extremely weathered and was wearing a dark blue
polo shirt and jeans, said: 'My mental health is not so good – I'm in
this situation, I can't get a job'
Another was seen urinating by a tree to the side of the camp. Now and again we saw an argument flair up between residents.
One man even shoved another to the ground for apparently taking a
sip of his drink – but the argument died down, and an eerie silence
settled again in the camp.
Food packets, bottles and lids are scattered all over the floor, and - worryingly - dozens of used syringes.
Locals have vented their frustration at the camp
From what is visible of the inside of the tents, they are mostly filled with rubbish.
One camp resident, in his early 30s, said he used to work for a
milk factory in the area and that his family have lived in Wrexham for
15 years.
The resident, who looked extremely weathered and was wearing a dark
blue polo shirt and jeans, said: “My mental health is not so good – I'm
in this situation, I can't get a job.
“I've been on the streets since January and I've been here for four weeks after I was kicked out of a hostel.
“There's about 20 lads and four girls, there are people here with a lot of problems. It's safer to be out here like this because we're in a group.
The woodland is now covered in litter as their stay continues
“It's quite segregated. Some of the lads don't do anything and
just walk around with their tops off and cause trouble and fight with
us.
“I don't know what half of these people are doing. We've got the tents and two or three sleep in each tent. What it needs is a night shelter.
“I'm a lad's lad, I'm not arsed. But it's dangerous at night. People will just come and p*** on you.
“People brought us a toilet but we've got nowhere to wash in the area. I need somewhere to wash so I can work.
“At the end of the day, we are all willing to work – help us.
“There are drugs problems, there's a difference between the ones that smoke weed and the ones that smoke spice and heroin here.
“We've had charities come down, but I'm not the charity type. I
need a flat – a property. Somewhere where I can come to work and go
home.
“I know people have been saying we're causing trouble that live
around here. At the end of the day we're not causing trouble, we just
want a bit of help, that's it.
“You're talking about a community and these people are part of the community.”
***
Culled from The Sun UK
0 comments:
Post a Comment