Press Release – For immediate release // 22nd May 2015
HOMELESS CAMP SUPPORT GROWS AS ANTI CUTS DEMONSTRATION TAKES PLACE IN PICCADILLY GARDENS TOMORROW
- Camp residents now based in St Ann's Square following eviction from outside Central Library
- Rector of St Ann's says people in the camp will be “welcome” in the church
- Homeless Camp supporter describes postponement of the market in St Ann's Square as an “over-reaction” by the City Council
ANTI AUSTERITY DEMONSTRATION
Saturday, May 23rd
12 noon, Piccadilly Gardens
Residents of Manchester's Homeless Camp, now based in St Ann's Square, will join tomorrow's anti austerity demonstration in Piccadilly Gardens. The rally is expected to bring thousands of people into the city centre to protest against the new Conservative government's planned cuts.
Mike Atkinson and Liam Callacher, the organisers of the demonstration which is backed by campaign groups and individuals throughout Manchester, have seen support for the protest swell to more than 5,000 since the Facebook event was launched.
Housing will be high on the anti cuts agenda as people gather in Piccadilly Gardens tomorrow. For over a month, residents of Manchester's Homeless Camp have been leading the protest against the shortage of housing in the city– and residents are determined to carry on despite repeated eviction threats from the City Council..
Earlier this week, they were evicted from their site outside the Library in St Peter's Square where they had been living for a month. Before that, they left their site in Albert Square voluntarily after being threatened with eviction by Manchester City Council.
Since Tuesday, they have been camped in St Ann's Square where they have been explaining to shop workers and passers-by why they have been driven to take this action.
The present site of the camp is only yards from St Ann's Church and the Rector Nigel Ashworth said: “We have seen the number of rough sleepers going up now for some years. Many people come and go when they get accommodation. Some stay as rough sleepers for quite a time.
“The church welcomes many people as visitors, worshippers or simply because they need a place to sit and think. In that respect, the people in the camp are like any other member of the public – they are welcome. We pray that the response to the needs of homeless peoplen will find practical and caring outcomes and that the needs of all city-centre users will be respected.”
Support for the Camp is growing. An Open Letter to council leader Richard Leese and council executive members responsible for housing, Jeff Smith and Bev Craig, has now been signed by nearly 40 “concerned citizens” including academics, nurses, trade union representatives and leading members of campaign groups and other organistions.
In addition, a discussion has been sparked among Manchester's 38 Degrees members after Conrad Bower, a member of the group, organised a petition in support of the Camp which attracted nearly 1,000 signatures in just a few days.
38 Degrees members have been writing to their councillors and Members of Parliament to raise the homelessness issues being highlighted by residents of the camp.
Conrad says: "Manchester City Council should be ashamed of evicting homeless people, would it not be better to house them instead?
“The City Council complain about the £88,000 cost of policing the protest but what about the cost in destroyed and shortened lives of homeless people? The average age of a homeless person has recently been stated as being 47 years old, what is the cost of those lost years for the thousands of homeless across Greater Manchester?
“The council should be using the protest as an opportunity to address this issue, instead they are trying to sweep it under the carpet so we can all go back to ignoring homeless people or occasionally chucking them our change.
“With the coming austerity cuts, this problem can only get worse. MCC state health and safety reasons for moving these people on, but these camps are the safest place they have had to stay in a long time; living on the streets is dangerous when alone.
“The postponement of the market in St Ann's Square – as reported in the media - is an over-reaction by MCC, the market could have operated alongside the homeless camp.”
Peter (known as “Pops”), the 55 year old resident of the camp who has built up a huge following on Facebook, says: “I have been given the opportunity of shared accommodation but I am determined to stay with the camp to help bring homelessness to the attention of people in Manchester.”
- RAPAR continues to wait for a response from Manchester City Council's solicitor to explain the council's actions in barring members of the homeless camp and their supporters from Manchester's largest public library in St Peter's Square
- The number of Likes on the Facebook Page for Homeless Rights of Justice Mcr has now reached more than 2,600. Follow the page for updates about the camp. https://www.facebook.com/HomelessRoJ
- Also, please keep an eye on the RAPAR website www.rapar.org.uk/keep-your-coins---we-want-change.html
For more information, contact Dr Rhetta Moran 07776264646 or Kath Grant 07758386208