In partnership with the Glasgow Times newspaper, Govan Law Centre (GLC) has today launched a campaign to end Glasgow’s homeless hotel shame.
Homelessness in Glasgow is at a crisis level. The city council has declared a housing emergency, people are regularly being turned away for emergency accommodation and rough sleeping has increased to worrying levels again. Meanwhile, those who are given emergency accommodation are too often being put into squalid conditions with draconian rules.
Officially, it is described as hotel accommodation but it is hard to reconcile the experience people have in some of these establishments with what we would recognise as a hotel.
Lorna Walker, senior solicitor and campaigns manager at GLC said: “This campaign means a lot to Govan Law Centre. Everyone needs a safe place to lay their head at night. The right to adequate housing is a human right. But for many people presenting as homeless to the council, this is not the case. We need to do better. We have some of the most innovative homeless law in the world but despite this people are placed in accommodation that is completely unsuitable – often after a period of rough sleeping.
Section 29 of the 1987 Housing Scotland Act provides that people must be placed in “suitable interim accommodation”. Yet many of our clients placed in interim accommodation have complained of rats, mice, insect infestation, stained mattresses, dirt, mould, unhygienic bathrooms, and even reports of blood stains on the walls.
They don’t feel safe. Often, they feel intimated, abandoned and pressured to take illicit substances. The police are often called. The law says that after 7 days, individuals must be moved to accommodation with adequate cooking facilities and use of a living room, but people are often not moved unless they engage a lawyer, and can be left for weeks, months or years, in and out of different hotel/hostel accommodation.
This includes families with young children, refugees, women fleeing domestic abuse, men fleeing violence, young adults leaving the care system. Any of us could face homelessness. Often a change in circumstance, like loss of a job, ill health, death of a loved one or relationship breakdown can result in being catapulted into this situation and once the council meet their statutory duty, they end up in poor standard accommodation.
What does this do for someone’s self-worth and self-esteem? We all deserve to feel safe and in a clean, comfortable environment. Temporary homeless accommodation is very expensive. Many skilled men and women cannot work while living in this environment as they can’t afford the bill for substandard accommodation.
We’re calling this out in our campaign to End the Homeless Hotel Shame. We’re calling for Glasgow City Council to adopt a new written policy on cleanliness and minimum standards for homeless hotel accommodation. We want council staff to inspect hotels regularly to check the rooms and shared facilities – and if hotels don’t meet those standards they shouldn’t use them until they do.”
7 June 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24371676.artist-devises-product-help-homeless-people-stay-clean/
10 June 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24375896.man-tells-rats-mice-city-centre-homeless-hotel/
11 June 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24378283.ive-streets-since-october-reality-homelessness/
15 June 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24373580.nightmare-experience-glasgow-hotel-riddled-mice/
17 June 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24373981.homeless-teenager-feared-safety-glasgow-hotel/
27 June 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24414103.many-homeless-hotel-inspections-council-carried/
27 June 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24416463.b-b-use-homeless-glasgow-doubled-year/
2 July 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24381299.dad-slept-street-homeless-hostels-brother-died/
4 July 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24429099.much-owners-homeless-hotels-glasgow-paid/
15 July 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24452772.number-homeless-people-hotel-rises-glasgow/
6 August 2024 – http://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24499194.opposition-councillors-back-homeless-hotel-shame-campaign/
