Christmas holds nothing for 'Shrubbery' homeless camp dwellers in Basingstoke

As many of us prepare to gorge ourselves on too much food in the warm comfort of our family homes this Christmas, the residents of small homeless community living in a wooded area of Basingstoke known locally as “the shrubbery” will face a different reality.

Living in filthy tents with mud for floors, there is no running water or sanitation, Christmas Day will be like any other day for them – trying to find enough food to eat and shelter from the elements in the Hampshire town.

Confined to a wheelchair Lorna, 53, told The Independent she is registered disabled and has been homeless for six-and-a-half years.

Doctors brought her back from the brink death after a car crash 14-years ago which saw her break “literally every bone in my body”.

“I was in hospital for eight months and I now have a pinned up, left and right femur, arms and jaw”, she said, “I can walk but with difficulty and am in a lot of pain.”

She also suffers from Asthma, Pleurisy, Emphysema, Gall Stones and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Lorna, who admits to struggling with both drug and alcohol issues “as a coping mechanism” was evicted from her last permanent home in a hostel after her son was caught smoking a joint.

“There are some places I can go to but they are not permanent and I have to leave again,” she said. "I feel hopeless and lost. It's not fair. I'm not asking for a mansion just a kitchen, bathroom and a safe place with my own key.”

Despite receiving the Disability Living Allowance and Employment Support Allowance, she said she could not afford to rent somewhere.

“There has to be something they can do or somehow we can be housed,” she said. “There are so many empty properties that could be done up for us to live in. I don't know.”

When people did notice them she said: "Clubbers spit at us…. They are drunk and can be downright horrible."

Mathew Barton, 48, will also be spending Christmas on the streets of Basingstoke.

"I don't drink,” he said. “I worked in the past as a general factory worker.”

He added that he had “slight memory loss,” after he was beaten up in nearby Aldershot a while ago.

open image in gallery

open image in gallery

Another man living in a tent said he had been on a housing list “for ages” but had yet to secure a property and he didn’t have anywhere else to go.

“Why do you think I'm here,” he said. “Would I be living like this if I had a home?”

Police community support officer Tom Harries said that the number of people in the camp change on a daily basis.

"My role is dealing with breaking down barriers between the community and police, that's why I am here,” he said, adding that if the land was owned by the council, it would give them a “notice to leave order, but if it was private it would be down to the landowner and police to enforce their eviction.

“From our point of view, until the correct paperwork is given, the police have duty of care to them as well as to the local community, to ensure that no crimes are committed and to keep everyone safe,” he said. "We have had observational complaints from residents but no crime reports.

"Personally I feel sorry for them at times. Some of the homeless community has had to deal with unforeseen circumstances that have put them in that situation. Over the course of time we do go in check on them, to see that they are safe. They are human beings after all and could suffer crime and it's our job to protect everyone."

People living near the camp were mostly sympathetic to the plight of its resident, although one elderly resident complained about empty alcohol bottles being left near a primary school.

But Tom Price, 65, said he felt “ashamed” because he was unaware of its existence. “It does prove they are not causing trouble or I would have been aware,” he said.

Another Tim Smith, 16, said he was “shocked” as he’d assumed that the people he’d seen in town were staying in hostel.

“I didn't know it was a problem, but I've seen more people sleeping rough especially in the last year or so,” he said.

Michael freer, 52, added: "I think it's a shame that we have a society that doesn't look after people who can't look after themselves. We tend to ignore and turn a blind eye to people who live under the radar.”

The deputy Leader at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Chair of the Social Inclusion Partnership, coucillor Terri Reid said: “We are realistic that given the challenges of homelessness the issues will not easily be resolved but collectively we are working hard to improve the circumstances of those local people sleeping on our streets to ensure they have access to the right help to move towards a better life.”

She added: "Despite national cuts in funding for supported housing services the borough council has invested heavily in supporting homelessness services including a homeless hostel, high-level supported accommodation and emergency accommodation for families at risk of homelessness.

"Specialist outreach workers and day support services are funded to work with people at risk of homelessness or sleeping rough and we have invested additional funding into buying homes to be used as emergency temporary accommodation to reduce the use of bed and breakfasts."