Glasgow City Centre homeless Winter night shelter granted permission to stay open during the summer

A winter night shelter in Glasgow city centre is set to remain open to help cope with the demand for its service.

The shelter is run by Homeless Project Scotland, a charity that is run entirely by volunteers across the country, and aims to offer a safe haven for those experiencing homelessness while working with them to break the cycle of homelessness. 

Set up in 2019 by founders Colin McInnes and Fraser Riddle, the organisation runs a soup kitchen under Glasgow Central on Argyle Street, a food van, street teams and a 24/7 phone line. 

They have also partnered with Govan Law Centre to deliver the shelter, advocate for the rights of homeless individuals and help find accommodation for the people who need it while helping people struggling with addiction. 

This winter, Homeless Project Scotland introduced the country’s first entirely volunteer-run emergency night shelter, centrally located in the heart of Glasgow, at Glassford Street. 

Since January, around 3000 people have used the shelter – which averages at 35 people a night – but the charity is expecting the number of people in need to spike and intends to continue operating the night shelter throughout the year to help those in need.

After positive discussions with Barry Cushley, the owner of Glassford Street, and a board meeting with trustees, the charity has announced that the winter night shelter will continue on a month-by-month basis.

It will open every night but a review will take place every month to make sure they still have the volunteers to run it. 

Colin McInnes, founder of the charity, said: “With the current housing emergency across Scotland, the need for this shelter has never been greater. We are committed to providing a safe, warm space for those in need during these challenging times. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and made this possible. 

“The shelter runs every single night. People can come to the doors at 10.30pm. If the council cannot accommodate someone, we then accommodate them in the shelter. 

“The board of directors will review this every month to see if we can continue this. The reason we are reviewing this every month is down to volunteers. If we don’t have the volunteers to run the site, we will have to close it.

“We need volunteers to help keep the shelter going so if anyone is interested in volunteering at the Shelter – they can visit our website and fill in an application. We are really short of volunteers just now. 

“Let’s continue to make a difference together.”

For more information or to get involved, visit the Homeless Project Scotland website: https://homelessprojectscotland.org/night-shelter