A homeless dad sleeping in an Asda car park was helped to be rehoused by a kind-hearted worker. Caroline McGeoch, a Security Section Leader at Asda Barrhead for three years, was conducting her store patrol route when she noticed the young man in the underground parking area.
With the weather having been “terrible” overnight, Caroline was fearing for the man’s safety. She brought him into the supermarket and called an ambulance, making him a cup of tea and some food while they waited.
Caroline told Glasgow Live: “I noticed a young man in the car park when I was on patrol and I went over to see if he was okay. I wasn’t sure how long he’d been out there, but it was really terrible weather overnight and that day, so I decided to try and help him.”
“I brought him into the store and rang an ambulance, I was really concerned as he was in quite a bad way and it was clear he hadn’t eaten in a while. We waited for the ambulance to come and I wrapped him in a sleeping bag to try and raise his temperature, and made him a bite to eat and some tea.”
While compassionate Caroline and the young dad waited, he opened up about his circumstances and troubles, stating that he has a job and a daughter but no house.
Caroline continued: “Once he was warmed up a bit and was able to speak, he told me that he is employed but he can’t afford housing due to using the majority of his money to provide for his young daughter. I think she was only 18 months old.
“My heart broke for him, he was such a lovely man and must’ve only been in his early 20s and I wanted to do everything I could to help. He told me he had a support worker who was trying to get him housing but it just hadn’t happened yet.
“I asked him to ring the support worker and I spoke to them, they explained there was nothing they could do for another three weeks due to being so busy. I couldn’t just put him back out on the street, I thought at this point I’ll have to take him home with me!
“Once the ambulance arrived, they informed us he had been very close to hypothermia, but we had done the right thing bringing him inside and getting his temperature up, so there wasn’t much else they could do. I asked the paramedics if they could speak to the support worker as well, as I couldn’t just let him go back to living rough in that awful weather after being so unwell.
“The paramedics were a great help, they explained to the support worker just how bad the young man’s situation is and how dangerously ill it’s making him, and thankfully they moved him up to a priority case that day and found accommodation for him in Glasgow.
“I got him a few bags of groceries, some clothes and essentials to set him up for the night, as well as some change for his train journey to his new home. I gave him my number as I wanted to check in and see if he was alright. He texted me that night to let me know he had arrived safely and thanked me. I was just so glad to be able to help.”
The next day, the man called the Asda Barrhead store to thank Caroline for her genuine concern and compassion.
Amanda Green, General Store Manager at Asda Barrhead said: “He couldn’t thank Caroline enough, thanks to her efforts and compassion the social worker prioritised his case and he now had somewhere to stay. A truly selfless act by an asset to our company.”
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