A 30-year-old man forced to sleep rough has told of being robbed, assaulted and even urinated on. Kieran McCusker, from Dumfries became homeless three months ago after the break up of a relationship in his home town.
He then relocated to Glasgow in the hope of finding work and accommodation but has since ended up on the streets after being declared homeless. Kieran is typical of a growing number of people sleeping rough in Scotland’s biggest city.
New figures released by Glasgow City Council under Freedom of Information (FOI) show that the numbers of rough sleepers has risen by more than 250 percent in the last five months. From January 1 to Feb 15 this year there were 203 rough sleepers in Glasgow but that had risen to 372 by March 30 and 552 by May 15 – a rise of 271 percent.
Yesterday campaigners called for more homes to be built to take people off the streets. with one saying the city was in the middle of a “homeless catastrophe”. The various places Kieran has slept rough in Glasgow include a cemetery, under a railway bridge and a bush.
View 6 ImagesKeiran McCusker from Dumfries(Image: DAILY RECORD)
On one occasion when he managed to get into a shelter he spent the night sleeping on the floor with ten other men. Kieran has been forced to survive by begging on the street but faces threats of violence from other homeless people who want to takeover his “pitch”
After he lost his home he spent several nights sleeping on the streets in Dumfries before moving to Glasgow. Kieran said: “I have slept rough in all sorts of places including the doorway of a McDonald’s
“It is embarrassing, it is degrading. it’ not something that you want to be doing. I have been robbed three time since I came to Glasgow.
“I have been p****d on sleeping in a doorway and assaulted in a doorway. There is not enough money being used to support people who are sleeping rough.
“The Scottish Government never do enough for homeless people. You can scream and shout and beg as much as you want but you are never going to be listened to.
“We are living off nothing.”
View 6 ImagesHomeless person in Glasgow(Image: DAILY RECORD)
Kieran says he is on a waiting list for a furnished flat and is desperate to get back into work. He added: “I have worked since I was 14 until last year.
“Any job I can get I have done it. I want to get back into work.”
In the last few days Kieran has managed to find a place in a homeless hotel but prior to that he had been sleeping rough. On one occasion he ended up in hospital after he his blanket and sleeping bag were stolen and he was forced to sleep in a bush.
Another regular rough sleeper Jacqueline from Springburn in Glasgow says it is difficult to get any type of accommodation which is why so many end up on the streets. The 41-year-old mother of two began sleeping rough after being kicked out of her privately rented flat in East Kilbride three years.
In the last few weeks she has managed to get a furnished flat in the Govanhill area of Glasgow but says it is a struggle for people like her to find somewhere to live. She added: “They need to start building for the homeless.
“All the marches and protests you see in Glasgow you don’t see any for the homeless. I feel we are forgotten.”
Colin McInnes of the Glasgow based charity Homeless Project Scotland believes there are far more people sleeping rough in the city than the council figures suggest. An average of around 1023 people come to their city-centre shelter each month because they have no where else to go.
View 6 ImagesColin McInnes of Homeless Project Scotland(Image: DAILY RECORD)
Colin says they have had phone calls from people forced to sleep in tents, cars,, gardens, bus shelters and tenement closes and believes they are not included in the official figures. Colin added: “People come to us because they have been sleeping rough and have stumbled across our shelter and our service.
“Nobody chooses to sleep rough. People who sleep in our shelter are also classed as rough sleeping because they are sleeping on a mattress on a floor. That is 33 people every night.
“They are legally entitled to accommodation but it is not being provided for them. The council are more than aware of this.
“We also have people at night sleeping in the streets in tents outside our doors .The courts recognise that as rough sleeping.”
View 6 ImagesSean Clerkin(Image: DAILY RECORD)
Sean Clerkin, Campaign Coordinator for the Scottish Tenants Organisation, who obtained the FOI figures, said: “The rapid rise in those sleeping rough on the streets of Glasgow shows the extent of the housing and homelessness catastrophe across the country. We need thousands of new homes quickly where we can house homeless people instead of abandoning them.”
The FOI report also shows that 9113 homeless people are currently living in temporary accommodation in Glasgow such as hotels and B&B of which 3246 are children. Stella Rooney, of the tenants union Living Rent said: “No-one should have to spend a night sleeping on the streets, and it’s shameful that the number of rough sleepers in our city has shot up.
“Each of the 552 people who have had to put their life at risk by sleeping rough has been failed by landlords, housing associations, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government. Just now Glasgow is splashing out to host the Commonwealth Games, developers are spending millions on building student accommodation and unaffordable luxury flats across our city.
“There is money, there is just no political will to stop this shocking increase in rough sleeping.”
View 6 ImagesMaeve McGoldrick, Crisis Scotland(Image: HANDOUT)
Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications at homeless charity Crisis Scotland, said: “These figures are deeply concerning and reflect a trend we are seeing in communities across Scotland. The fact that rough sleeping is continuing to rise is a clear sign that Scotland’s homelessness system is under immense pressure.
“Too many people are reaching crisis point before they can get the support they need.”
A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, who have responsibility for homeless services, commented: “We receive weekly reports from the Simon Community who are commissioned to provide outreach support and keep track on rough sleeping trends in the city. This gives us accurate, real-time information rather than relying on self-reporting.
“We acknowledge there can be weekly fluctuations, especially in cases where we don’t hold a statutory responsibility, including people with no recourse to public funds, people with existing tenancies and those who, although have been offered accommodation, choose not to occupy it.
“That said, we continue to engage with those we do have a responsibility for, ensuring emergency accommodation provision is available wherever possible. Given the current pressures and the lack of an accessible housing supply we understand the level of risk which could impact rough sleeping and we review and respond to this weekly with key partners.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Everyone in Scotland has a right to support when experiencing homelessness, and we expect councils to fulfil their duties to provide settled accommodation, and safe, suitable temporary accommodation if it is needed. The legal duty for preventing and responding to homelessness sits with local authorities, We are providing Glasgow City Council with £123 million this year through our Affordable Housing Supply Programme.
“We recognise the significant pressures on homelessness services and are taking decisive action through our Housing Emergency Action Plan, which commits up to £4.9 billion over four years to deliver around 36,000 affordable homes.”
Article continues below
Last month the Daily Record revealed the cost of housing homeless people in B&Bs and hotels in Glasgow has trebled to almost £68million since 2022. The increase has been blamed on a surge in migrants being given leave to remain after applying for asylum in the UK. Refugees have a legal right to be housed in Scotland that does not exist in England.
We also revealed a 20 percent rise in the number of people across Scotland evicted from social housing – mainly for rent arrears. Glasgow City Council first declared a housing emergency in November 2023.
Get Daily Record Premium for just £1 per month in exclusive offer to celebrate the world cup. Click HERE.