I barely exist because I’ve no address

AMANDA’S STORY

THE grim lifestyle of Amanda McInnes is one that is all too common on the mean streets of Glasgow, where rough sleeping has visibly increased in recent years.

Amanda, 33, was an ordinary schoolgirl with a supportive family. She left Stonehouse Academy with three Highers before enrolling at college.

Her downfall was, typically, drugs, which led to a period of working as a street girl, locking her into a spiral of hopelessness.

Amanda, who no longer works as a prostitute, said: “There is all this talk about stopping homelessness but how can you do that without building more homes?

“You can say what you like about there being less people on the streets but that’s a lot of rubbish. It is happening right before my eyes.

“There are more people begging and more people trying to get places in temporary homes than ever. They need to get more temporary furnished flats for people like me, so you can get an address and somehow get into the benefits system.

“I barely exist because I don’t have anywhere to get letters, so I can’t get benefits.”

Amanda, who is on a methadone programme, added: “You need to get people off drugs and into secure accommodation if you want to sort anything out. You need to get detox programmes to get people off drugs but they are always full and you can never get on them.

“If you turn up at the homeless centres, you are competing with so many other people for a bed. I try to get enough money together for a bed and breakfast in a hostel. Sometimes I manage it and sometimes I sleep on the street. It’s a hard life.”

She said: “You can always get something to eat because there are great charities in Glasgow with good people looking out for you. They are a Godsend.”