A homelessness charity running Scotland’s only night shelter has been forced to turn away more than 20 people a night on to freezing streets.
Homeless Project Scotland has been providing up to 350 meals a day and offering 33 beds a night from its base in the centre of Glasgow. But the homelessness explosion in Scotland – which has seen street sleeping in Edinburgh double in the last three months – has meant scores of people are being turned away to take their chances in freezing alleyways and shop doorways.
Homeless Project boss Colin McInnes said: “We’re effectively running a 24-hour welfare centre. Tonight, we’ll serve 350 people, as we do seven nights a week. 365 days a year. Each person will receive an adequate portion size, five meals each. So you’re 55,000 hot meals a month.
“For the 33 people who stay here every night, we will save £83 a head for the city council for temporary accommodation – so we calculate that we’ve saved them £1.4 million since January this year. We shouldn’t be needed in Scotland in 2024 but we are.
“We have police transporting people in from Edinburgh, East Kilbride, Hamilton, wherever because there’s no one else to take them.”
The Daily Record visited the night shelter, where a long queue had formed, as it does every night – by 7.30pm. We spoke to service users, who included mums with kids, asylum seekers and others with no recourse to public funds – and nowhere else to turn.
We also met volunteer staff – most of whom have used the service while they were themselves homeless and desperate.
Colin said he disputes claims by the City Mission charity, which shut its winter night shelter, claiming there were only 30 street sleepers in the city. He said: “Glasgow City Mission says there’s 30 rough sleepers yet we have 33 every night and we turn away another 20, so I’m mystified about how they can square those numbers.”
Colin said saving lives is his centre’s primary function He added: “We are not a hostel, we are not a hotel. We are literally an emergency
life-saving mattress to allow somebody to get some warmth, some dignity, some food, some compassion.” His team of volunteers include those with lived experience of homelessness, drug addiction and extreme poverty.
He said: “We’ve got a trustee on our board who was a heroin addict for 13 years and became sober. We’ve got Mohammed, who came to this country as a Syrian refugee, come through the whole asylum process and he’s a trustee too.
“So our directors have walked the walk. I was in the care system for 16 years of my life.” Volunteer Robert Nisbet, 27, has worked with the project for 10 months, during which time he’s taken just two days off, for hospital appointments.
Robert was a former user of the service, as he recovered from cocaine addiction and battled to change his chaotic, crime-ridden life.
He said: “I’m feeling good about the way I’ve turned things around for myself and I’m genuine about giving a bit back. So anything I can do to help others turn their lives for the better is a great result.”
Roland Blaj, 39, was homeless in Glasgow in April after his work as a missionary took him to various countries and he lost the right to be housed. He said: “I stayed here for three months, on and off, but I also had times spent on pavements, under bridges and on Glasgow Green. I now come here for food and I’m grateful for everything that they do here.”
Roland, from Romania, added: “It’s obvious things are getting worse and the work done here is very important.”
Michelle Walker, 50, has used the food service at the centre. She said: “There’s a real sense of community here and I’ve had so much help. I have my own home but the social benefit has been really helpful for me.”
Scottish housing minister Paul McLennan said: “Scotland has the strongest rights in the UK for people experiencing homelessness, and anyone experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness is entitled to local authority support and temporary accommodation.”
Glasgow City Council said: “We want to move people away from emergency accommodation and into permanent housing with the right support in place to help them sustain their tenancy.”
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