They fixed it, then kicked us all out after Covid ended

HOMELESS men in Glasgow have told the Record the problem flared up again as soon as Covid loosened its grip and the lockdowns ended. Gregg, who is sleeping rough in the city centre with his 10-year-old dog Roxy, became homeless after fleeing a violent home situation. He said: “When Covid was here, they eradicated homelessness. When Covid went away, they kicked everyone back on the streets again. “So they’ve not eradicated anything. If they really wanted to do it, they could do it in one fell swoop and get everyone somewhere to live.” Gregg, who is in his 60s and from Norwich, came to Scotland 14 years ago. He praised Glasgow’s housing system for the homeless as better than in many other cities. But he said he still feels the homelessness crisis has been “brushed under the carpet”. Further up Buchanan Street, we met William Connally sleeping rough after recently getting out of jail and losing his flat. He said: “Everywhere’s full up, I can’t get in anywhere, it’s just waiting lists, waiting lists. “That’s how it is nowadays. Life’s hard now, every day. Day in, day out.”

On Scotland’s vacant homes, he said: “That could be 90,000 people’s houses, you know?”

John, from the south side of Glasgow, is no longer homeless but spent a year between 2018 and 2019 living on the streets.

He volunteers for the Scottish Tenants Organisation and helps with their weekly round in Glasgow city centre, buying food and water, usually from the local Greggs, to deliver to homeless people.

He told us: “I’ve been through difficult times, and I walked away from my life. I had ill health and I was on the street.

“So-called friends weren’t friends when you needed them. But there were a lot of people that helped me – sofa surfing – a night here, a night there, especially on really cold nights.”

He said he was “fortunate” to finally secure housing a few years ago.

Asked why he comes out every week to volunteer, John said: “Because I’ve been there. Because I’ve got a heart.

“I didn’t choose to be there and I understand there’s a lot of people that didn’t choose to be here and are good people. Nobody’s perfect.”

To those Scots who look down on homeless people, John said: “There’s nothing I can say to change their views. All I can say is I pray to God they never get into that situation.”

I pray to god they never get into that situation John on those who scorn the homeless