Inside Wrexham’s ‘shanty town’ – the camp for homeless ex offenders By Pascale Hughes and Anna O’Donohue There are around 20 men and five women camping under a coppice of trees […]

By Pascale Hughes and Anna O’Donohue

There are around 20 men and five women camping under a coppice of trees next to a red brick school in north Wales.

With nowhere to go, trapped in a cycle of addiction, crime and poverty, they have pitched donated tents in a leafy neighbourhood just outside Wrexham.

The i newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

Video: Inside the ‘shanty town’

Scattered across the site, referred to as a “shanty town” by locals, are rings of half-rusted camping chairs, trodden sleeping mats and empty water bottles and piles of rubbish.

The council will “tolerate” the camp for now as it “provides a single point where vulnerable people might engage with the services they need”. It set up a portaloo and a skip on the site.

One week later, both are overflowing.

Homelessness in Wales

The number of homeless people in Wales increased by 63 per cent last year according to official figures. Wrexham has seen the sharp end of the rise, with the number of people sleeping rough almost doubling.

A change in the law for people leaving prison, coupled by an explosion in the use of drug spice, has made matters particularly critical.

Almost everyone living in this camp has been in prison more than once in the last few years. And almost every one of them smokes spice.

‘If I’m going to be living outside, drugs make it easier’

When Paul Davis left prison two days ago he went to the makeshift camp.

Paul was imprisoned for nine weeks after a string of petty thefts: a TV from a hostel, two bottles of aftershave from Asda, a piece of meat and four bottles of wine from a corner shop. When he was arrested he already had 52 previous convictions for 125 offences.

“I get spice here, I get it in prison, it’s always cheap” -Paul Davis

Paul, who has always lived in Wrexham, is realistic about what landed him in prison, what takes him to the camp, and what’s likely to take him back to prison again: his addiction to the psychoactive drug spice and the impossibility of getting clean when he has nowhere to live.

“I don’t think think spice made me homeless,” said Paul. “I’ve been doing drugs since I was 14. But I get spice here, I get it in prison, it’s always cheap. If I’m going to be living outside, spice makes it easier.

“I’ll shoplift, steal, beg, if I have to, I’ll find a way to get the money.”

Timing

In 2014, the year the synthetic cannabis substitute spice emerged and began causing chaos in prisons and healthcare services, a law changed in Wales. Prison leavers would no longer given priority for accommodation.

Prison leavers are now only given somewhere to live if they are “vulnerable as a result of being in prison”. While all homeless prison leavers have a right to assistance to “help to secure” accommodation, they don’t have a right to emergency accommodation.

Prison Link Cymru said some ex-offenders are living rough for up to a year before finding somewhere suitable to live.

‘The council’s happy we are here out of the way’

Less than one per cent of the UK’s population has used spice, says Fiona Measham, professor of criminology at the University of Durham. But it is devastating the lives of two small, and often overlapping groups: the street homeless and prisoners.

Earlier this year a bus driver’s photos of Wrexham’s spice users draped over the town centre like “zombies” went viral.

When people were caught with drugs they starting being banned from the centre as a condition of their bail. A homeless man called Craig Nikolic was sent to prison for 60 days for breaking his bail in this way after smoking spice.

‘He is one of many and these individuals are being set up to fail’ Mark Davies, solicitor

He was defended by lawyer Mark Davies, who asked how his client would be able to wash, shave or find food if could couldn’t go into the town centre.

The case demonstrates the “profound problem we have in Wrexham in particular and in other towns with individuals who had no accommodation and had nowhere to go,” Mr Davies said. “The authorities need to get a grip of this situation. He is one of many and these individuals are being set up to fail.”

Craig is now out of prison and living in the camp. He said: “The council’s happy that we’re out here. We’re out of the way. We’re not upsetting the people in the centre.”

A death trap

The entrances to the school are blocked with a concrete slabs and bollards, which worries local campaigner Angie Hammons, who collects donations for the people living in the camp.

She said: “Wrexham Council has acknowledged that people are living there, but they’re putting lives at risk with the blocked entrances. If there’s a fire, or someone needs to get to hospital, they’re not going to be able to get fire engines or ambulances inside.”

She said that ambulances have had to visit the site three out of the last four days. “I’ve been told that there’s 24/7 access to the site, but I don’t know how anyone would get hold of the council if there was an emergency in the middle of the night.”

No housing if on drugs

Cllr David Griffiths, Lead Member for Housing disagrees. “We’re just as keen as anyone to support these people and a lot of hard work is going in from staff from a number of agencies, but the issue has far more to do with drug use, physical and mental health and related issues than the mere lack of a roof over people’s heads,” he said.

But for many it is the lack of a roof that is driving them to use drugs – and commit crimes to get money to buy the drugs.

Cllr Griffiths said the council’s actions “depend on the willingness and readiness of those vulnerable individuals to engage”.

Drug users are not considered for housing until they promise to stop using – and follow through.

‘Some councils use their new flexibility around prison leavers to put them to the bottom of the pile’ Jennie Bibbings, Shelter Cymru campaigns manager

Shelter Cymru campaigns manager Jennie Bibbings said: “If people fall off the wagon, if they start using again, they can lose their accommodation. Other prison leavers never get anywhere to live. The Housing Act improved the situations of most, but not prison leavers.

“We hear that some councils use their new flexibility around prison leavers to put them to the bottom of the pile and forget about them.

“If substance misusers were housed first, and then given they help they need, they might be able to kick their drug habits.”

I came because I won’t be alone

The Prison Reform Agency says more than 79 per cent of of prisoners reported homeless are convicted again in the first year they are released, compared with 47 per cent with accommodation.

“It just takes one slip up and it’s all over. You’re back to square one,” said Josie, who did not want to give her last name. “But it’s really hard to stay clean when you’re sleeping four in a tent.”

‘It’s really hard to stay clean when you’re sleeping four in a tent’ Josie

Although Paul was able to continue using spice and other drugs in prison, Josie became less addicted during her four month sentence, which was also for theft.

She said: “I actually got over my spice addiction while I was in prison. I was given some help and was feeling hopeful when I came out. I want to tell people what it was like to be so addicted and what it made me do.”

She met with caseworkers to discuss getting a house in the two weeks leading up to her release, but still had nowhere to go when she was released on Wednesday.

“I’m worried,” she said “I came to the camp because I know people here and it means I won’t be alone but it will be hard not to fall back into taking spice. If I do, it will be more difficult to find somewhere to live and get work. If you don’t have anywhere to live you’re screwed.”