AN 'UNPRECEDENTED' drugs issue in Chester has led a charity to pull out of the city's 24/7 homeless support hub out of concern for the safety of its volunteers.

SHARE, which has operated from Hamilton House since the facility opened in April, made the announcement on its Facebook page yesterday (Sunday, September 22).

The Standard understands that the issue has arisen due to a shortage of the drug Spice which has meant more vulnerable people are turning to heroin – although this has not been confirmed by the police.

This has led to users becoming more hostile and in some instances violent.

In its statement, Share – which supports refugees and homeless people - said drug dealers are targeting the people who use the services provided at Hamilton House, which is located in the city centre behind Watergate Street.

The concern has been echoed by another homeless support group, Soul Kitchen, whose founder Helen Anthony believes the drugs situation in Chester is at an “unprecedented high”.

Based at Campbell Hall in Boughton, volunteers had noticed a “significant increase in the amount of drug activity taking place” over the summer.

Helen told this newspaper: “Whilst our services are non-judgemental about individuals and their circumstances we do ask that people using the services don't take drugs or alcohol whilst on the premises.  Despite repeatedly requesting this courtesy - some individuals felt unable to comply and this was putting volunteers in a difficult position.

“Campbell Hall Trustees then made the decision to suspend services from the hall until further notice.”

Soul Kitchen did not operate for a couple of weeks, she said, but has now started providing its service from Hamilton House at dinner time on Saturdays.

She added: “I believe that the drug situation in Chester is at an unprecedented high.  The dealers are preying on the vulnerable and homeless.  Services such as ourselves and Share are then having to deal with the desperate addict and not the person. 

“It is terribly sad to see people whom we have all been helping, change with the increased amounts of drugs that are now available.”

Helen said that the member groups of the multi-agency Outside In team are “extremely concerned” and are looking at ways to support the homeless and most vulnerable communities. 

In its full statement, Share said: “It is with great sadness that Share have made the very difficult decision to temporarily suspend the current service we deliver inside The Share Cafe in the Hamilton House Homeless Hub.

“This is not a decision that we have taken lightly. Drug addiction is increasingly a challenge for a growing number of people who are homeless in Chester and we are deeply concerned that drug dealers are using the vulnerability of our service users to profit from their addictions.

“This is stopping some people who are homeless from moving off the streets and getting on with their lives, as well as having a negative impact on their behaviour.

“Share take the safety of our volunteers very seriously and it is our responsibility to ensure that they can work safely. It has now reached the point where we need to consider what more can be done to better support our service users and break the cycle of addiction and rough sleeping that they find themselves in.

“We will continue to work in partnership with Forfutures, Cheshire West and Chester Council, the police and other organisations to try and resolve this situation together.

“It is our intention to reopen the Share Cafe inside the Homeless Shelter in a few days and plan to develop services that will tackle these growing issues more effectively. We would also urge any member of the public who wants to help to provide practical items like food and clothing rather than giving money on the streets, which will just end up lining the pockets of the dealers.”

The Standard has approached Cheshire Police and Cheshire West and Chester Council for a comment.

Hamilton House is run by housing and homeless services contractor forfutures on behalf of the council.

It opened on April 1 to much fanfare and aims to provide a base for agencies to link up and support people into accommodation.

These include forfutures, St Werburgh’s Medical Practice and Westminster Drug project, which helps people tackling substance misuse.

It offers emergency beds, showers, toilets, a washing machine and a kitchen where customers can prepare food.

Until now, SHARE - which was set up by businessman Adam Dandy - was based front-of-house at the centre offering food and drinks and support from its volunteers.