Homeless charities ramp up efforts to tackle winter rough sleeping crisis

Preventing rough sleeping during a national housing emergency is posing extra challenges for homeless charities this winter.

Glasgow City Mission wants to move homeless people into permanent accommodation to clear emergency beds and prevent them from sleeping on the streets.

The backlog of people living in hotels, B&Bs and hostels is greater than ever.

There are currently around 30 people sleeping rough in Glasgow City and 1,500 people living in temporary accommodation.

Glasgow City Mission manager Elyse MacKinnon STV News

The charity is trying to prevent people remaining unnecessarily in hotels which would then free up a bed for people at risk of rough sleeping.

Elyse MacKinnon manages Glasgow City Mission’s Winter Project.

She told STV News: “We want to break the cycle of homelessness. That’s one of the challenges we face.

“When people are stuck in temporary accommodation, they don’t integrate well into community once they move out, which means they end up in this revolving door back in temporary accommodation.

“That means they get stuck in this system once again.”

Previously, Glasgow City Mission ran a night shelter with mattresses packed onto a hall floor.

This year, they’re tackling hidden homelessness by meeting people face-to-face.

They meet people at their accommodation to discuss their situation and then liaise with the appropriate authorities to move their cases forward and move them into a permanent home.

Charity working to tackle growing backlogs of people living in temporary accommodation. STV News

There are now six outreach members in the Glasgow City Mission team.

While some visit the hotels and B&Bs, others run a drop-in guidance session.

The new approach aims to unclog the system and free up space for those who find themselves in crisis, facing a night on the streets.

James Faddes, a Housing Settlement Officer, said that helping people break the cycle of homelessness is tough, and winter time enhances feelings of isolation.

He said: “The initial challenge is that it could be months between them being there and speaking to someone. So that loneliness, that isolation, that sense of, ‘am I at a dead end? what is next?’ and the uncertainty around about that.

“They’re emotionally distraught, struggling with the situation they’re in. So we try to provide a bit of hope and let them know their situation is not as bleak as you think and put them in touch with the right services.”