Glasgow is in a housing emergency. As of February 2025, there were 6,600 live homeless applications, with a further 4,100 households living in temporary accommodation, living with the fear that their homes may be ripped away from them.
Thankfully, there are several charities around Glasgow who help support the homeless, such as the Simon Community.
“We feed a lot of people, but we don’t just feed them so they’re fed. We feed them to build relationships and build trust.”
They support adults and young people, providing information and support, as well as a support line you can call if you are concerned about anyone sleeping rough. A member of the Simon Community will head out and check up on them and provide any support they may need.
There is also Help the Homeless Glasgow who provide pop up soup kitchens as well as taking in furniture donations to help support those transferring to temporary or permanent accommodation.
The organisation also conducts regular rough sleeper counts where members of their team go into the city centre during the early hours of the morning and count how many people are sleeping rough. By doing this, they are also building relationships with those they feed and will be able to tell if anyone goes missing.
Useful items to give out to help our friends on the streets:
Disposable hand warmers
Hot drinks
Gift cards that can be used in supermarkets or food shops
Blanket
Bottles of water
Another charity which serves the city centre is the Glasgow City Mission, who have three main aspects: the city centre project, the child and family centre, and the winter project.
The city centre project works with people affected by homelessness, addiction, and poverty. They provide support for multiple issues including employment, mental health, addictions, and housing.
Support offers include a daily drop-in where meals are served and classes in various different subject areas. They also provide professional counselling and an internship scheme to allow attendees to flourish to their full potential.
The Child and Family Centre is located in Govan and has been working with the community since 1987. The centre runs parent and toddler groups, all age and afterschool clubs, as well as offering holiday clubs during Easter and Christmas.
Jack Geddes is the marketing and fundraising manager for the Glasgow City Mission. He told me about the different projects they offer year-round.
“What we have are two sides to it, one is an overnight welcome centre. Anybody that is in danger of sleeping rough can come to the overnight welcome centre”.
It Is based in a budget hotel; the organisation keeps emergency rooms aside so that they are available for anyone who may come in.
In the morning housing settlement officers will come and work with those who have used the facilities and arrange to get them into temporary accommodation.
“In the morning our housing settlement officers work with those that we’ve met and get them into the system so we can get them into temporary accommodation and hopefully move them to permanent accommodation somewhere down the line”.
He spoke about the mission as a whole and said that in their Crimea Street hub they see around 300-400 people every weekday, where they are provided with meals and support.
“We feed a lot of people, but we don’t just feed them so they’re fed. We feed them to build relationships and build trust”.
For more information on how you can help the homeless community of Glasgow see below.
Helplines:
The Simon Community – 0800 027 7466
Shelter Scotland – 0800 838 502
Glasgow City Council housing advice – 0141 287 0555
