‘I’ve been kicked in the head, urinated on, my hands turned blue with the cold ... no wonder people like me are dying’
IF THEY AREN’T BEING BEATEN BY DRUNKS, THEY ARE SO COLD THEY TRY TO GET ARRESTED TO SPEND A NIGHT IN A CELL. PETER SWINDON SPEAKS TO ROUGH SLEEPERS IN SCOTLAND’S BIGGEST CITY. WARNING: REPORT CONTAINS DISTURBING DETAILS
VIOLENCE, drugs and the cold are killing a record number of homeless people in Scotland’s biggest city, according to those who sleep rough. Figures obtained by the Sunday Herald following a Freedom of Information request show at least 39 have died on the streets of Glasgow in the last 10 months alone – that’s one person every single week.
Jessica Jennings, 23, has been sleeping rough in the city for nearly a year, finding refuge under cardboard behind a bin in a filthy lane.
She said: “It’s very dangerous at night on these streets. I was asleep and someone ran up and kicked me on the head, for no reason. They were just drunk at the weekend. People urinate on you. Some people carry knives and all sorts around with them. If you don’t give them what they want it can get very dangerous.”
Jennings says she fears she’ll die on the streets because it’s so cold at night. She said: “It’s horrible. Literally, your hands turn blue it’s so cold. A few nights ago I was going to go to hospital because I was so cold it hurt. I couldn’t breathe properly. My chest was tight. The next day I was so stiff from the cold I couldn’t walk.
“I worry every day that I’m going to die on the street. I walk past people and some of them do look dead. I’m surprised that the number is so low. I think there’s probably more. It’s very easy to die on the streets.
“It might sound weird but it could also be depression. If you’re not looking after yourself you go in to deep depression. You get no help. You just give up. Your body just fails.
“People need more help. I would say there’s hundreds on the streets of Glasgow. I see a new homeless face every day. They’re everywhere. Every door. Every street. Not even just in the city centre. There are so many homeless people now.”
One homeless man who gave his name as “Paddy” said he has been on the streets for three years.
The 42-year-old from Glasgow’s east end said: “I’ve known people who’ve died from hypothermia. There’s a lack of sleeping bags. I might get handed one from the street team and then leave it lying and it’ll be stolen. Then I’ll go back to the street team but there will be none left. You just have to sleep in a doorway under cardboard.”
Paddy also said violence is a problem, particularly at weekends when drunk revellers roam the streets. Some even film the assaults on mobile phones and post the footage online.
Men described by Paddy as “the young team” also exploit Glasgow’s sectarian tensions as they abuse homeless people. “They’ll offer you a few pounds for a bottle or a couple of cans to sing The Sash if they’re Rangers fans or The Fields of Athenry if they’re Celtic fans,” Paddy said.
“People walk by of a different persuasion and hear us singing it and they come back and kick f**k out of us. You know what Glasgow’s like. Sometimes we’re better off in prison so we get ourselves arrested to get to jail. When it’s really cold and the sleeping bags aren’t helping we just shout and bawl at the police and get arrested. At least in Barlinnie you’ve got a room with a bed and heating. It’s a revolving door. You just have to carry on regardless.”
One woman from Ayrshire, who asked not to be named, has been sleeping rough for several years.
She has a tent and a sleeping bag but wouldn’t reveal the location because she was afraid other homeless people would overhear her.
The 42-year-old said: “They’re dying because they’re taking drugs. It’s white valium and kit (heroin). You get a bag of 25 white pills for a tenner. They’re drinking, they’re taking drugs, and they’re sleeping in the cold. It’s not a good combination. I have a drink problem but I don’t take drugs.”
She is a mother and a grandmother but hasn’t seen her children for many years and hasn’t met her grandchildren.
“I just want my family back,” she added. “If I could get a house I’d get to see them. I’ve been in every hostel. I’m on waiting lists. They’re knocking houses down. Why are they not letting us stay there instead of demolishing them?”