Church denies it felt 'threatened' by homeless camp

A church minister has said worshippers did not feel threatened by an illegal homeless camp that was ordered to move on by authorities.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council confirmed it had removed people who were sleeping rough in the doorway of a former restaurant on Swan Square, Burslem, on Tuesday.

The local authority said the camp "represented a threat" to the community and had caused fear among people working at the nearby Swan Bank Methodist church.

But Kathryn Stevens, a superintendent minister, told BBC Radio Stoke that no-one at the church had been frightened.

She said the situation "saddened" her, adding that the church had worked for years to support homeless people, including inviting them into the building to use the showers and get food.

"It saddens us, but we don't feel threatened by it," she said.

"These are human beings who have fallen on hard times... we just have compassion and want to care for people in the best ways we can."

Ms Stevens said the people at the homeless camp had not been causing any trouble and she felt it was "very wrong" to force them to move on.

She described them as people who needed "love, care, help, time and attention".

"At the same time, we've got to think about the overall safety of the church so we try and balance it in the best way we can," she added.

"But the idea of us as a church being frightened by that is so far from the mark."

Stoke-on-Trent City Council said it worked with Staffordshire Police to issue a Community Protection Warning (CPW) ordering rough sleepers to move from the site and offered them support.

The local authority said the camp had "caused fear in the local area for those working at the church along with visitors".

Councillor Chris Robinson said: "Illegal homeless encampments represent a threat to the local community and are not the correct way to tackle the profoundly serious issue of homelessness."

Ch Supt for Stoke-on-Trent Elliott Sharrard-Williams said Staffordshire Police would continue to work with partners to help vulnerable residents in the community.

"Our vision is to create a healthier, wealthier, safer, greener, cleaner and fairer city for all, and a big part of this is about making people feel safe where they live," he said.

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