Thread by @PeterAdamSmith

Trying to help two homeless men in Glasgow find accommodation for the night. It’s so much harder than I naively imagined it would/should be, and infinitely more complicated.
Step 1: go to a night shelter. Except there are currently no night shelters in Glasgow city centre.

Step 2: contact @GlasgowCC - they have homeless casework teams covering the city. Trying to call them isn’t straightforward, though. It’s almost constantly engaged because they’re overloaded. I’ve been trying since yesterday, finally got through at 3.20pm today. It’s bad news.

The centre says there’s no accommodation left whatsoever for homeless people in Glasgow tonight. They tell me you’d have to arrive at their offices in person before midday to stand any chance of getting a room for the night. After that, it’s too late.

I ask what happens if you find yourself homeless after midday in Glasgow - if your situation changes and you are facing a night on the streets. “Unfortunately, you really need to get in early if you want any chance of a room.”

Step 3: The homeless men must go to an office in Possil, 8.45am tomorrow & wait. They tell me they fled Possil & are scared they’ll be attacked if they return. They homeless service says no other centre will deal with them - if they want a room, they must go to Possil.

Step 4: An evening drop-in service in the city centre might possibly be able to help them find a room tonight. They’ll go but the homeless men say they’ve been several times only to be told there’s nothing. They’ll try again tonight but they’re already preparing to sleep rough.

Step 5: Sleeping rough. It’s dangerous. One of the two men was robbed and punched recently. They say they’ve had a tent set on fire. But it looks like they‘ll probably have to sleep rough again tonight.

(Also, note @GlasgowCC: the phone number for your homeless casework centre in the northwest is incorrect on the website. Please do update it: ghn.org.uk/hip/homeless-o…)