Today, the homeless people and helpers who have set up the Saving People Shelter Project in an old doctor's surgery in Eccles, should have known their legal fate after a judge at Manchester Civil Justice Centre gave them an eight day extension from January 9th to prepare a legal defence against a possession order brought by NHS Property Services which owns the building.
However, the court date has now been put back until January 31st, giving them an extra two weeks at least to remain in the building.
"The homeless people still need to stay in the old doctor's surgery, so the fight will continue in the County Court at the end of January, as the weather turns colder and colder and the lives of people are put at risk if they have to sleep outside under the stars" says Alec McFadden, manager of the Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre (SUCRC), who represented the homeless people in court.
"NHS Property Services need to start putting people first, like their colleagues in hospital do" he adds.
Meanwhile SUCRC also runs a new Medical and Dental Surgery for the homeless and ex-offenders, as part of a £115,000 twelve month pilot project with a target of two hundred people to receive preventative care and treatment.
To date, over twenty people have signed up to the project, many who have had neither had a dentist or doctor in many years, and this week the Centre took delivery of around one hundred toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste plus loads of pairs of thick woollen winter socks from local organisations.
"Getting free toothbrushes and toothpaste was a great new year boost to our project" says Alec McFadden, who is also the project's manager "We aim to prevent tooth decay which leads to pain and loss of teeth. Going back to basics is so important."
For a full background see previous Salford Star article – click here
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
(3).jpeg)
.png)
(1).JPG)
