Heartbreaking images have emerged of homeless people sleeping in the pouring rain amid subzero temperatures in Glasgow in what a charity has described as a "harrowing" night.
Street teams from Homeless Project Scotland had been patrolling the city centre during the early hours of last Tuesday before they stumbled across half a dozen rough sleepers who were "in despair".
They had been clinging onto respite underneath archways and doorways as brutal weather elements forced them to sleep in temperatures of minus two.
Pictures taken by the charity on Queen Street, Gordon Street and Sauchiehall Street show those at the mercy of the weather.
When the volunteers found them, they were described as "upset" and "chittering from the cold".
Chairman of the charity, Colin McInnes, said: "When my teams found them them, they were chittering from the cold they were so freezing.
"They were upset and in despair for somewhere to sleep. They were begging us to find them shelter. It was one of the most harrowing nights my street teams have ever had.
"They were asking us to help them find somewhere to sleep - they just wanted to be put up into a warm bed with a roof over their head."
When found, the charity says that the rough sleepers only had the clothes on their back, sleeping bags and pieces of cardboard within their possession.
After the teams attempted to accommodate them into emergency accommodation, it soon emerged that all of the overnight shelters provided by Glasgow City Council were full - meaning they slept in the wet and cold for the full evening.
The situation left volunteers feeling "powerless" as they heavy heartedly told the homeless there was nothing more that they could do.
Colin said: "My volunteers tried phoning the homeless casework team at Glasgow City Council and every time they got through, they were just told that there were no beds available for the night.
"It made my volunteers feel powerless going home and knowing that they were heading to their warm beds after telling the homeless that they had no other option but to sleep on the streets in a sleeping pod.
"They gave them foil blankets and hand warmers but it really wouldn't have been enough to keep them warm - they were sleeping in subzero temperatures.
"We felt as a homeless charity that we had seriously let these people down. Nobody deserves to sleep on the streets.
"It is unacceptable that this is happening in 2022 and harrowing to tell someone that you are sorry, but there is no rooms available for you.”
The charity has since written to Glasgow City Council demanding to know why the local authority ran out of accommodation that evening.
While admitting that nobody should be sleeping on the streets, the council said that it is running an active campaign to assist those who may be doing so.
The Get Help Glasgow initiative aims to highlight measures on how members of the public can help anybody who is homeless.
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “No-one need sleep rough in Glasgow, help is available and Glasgow’s Alliance to End Homelessness is currently running a campaign highlighting how to help anyone who is rough sleeping.
“The Get Help Glasgow campaign is urging people to store the free Rough Sleepers and Vulnerable People (RSVP) helpline number in their mobile phones, so if someone is rough sleeping and needs immediate support, the Street Team commissioned by Glasgow City Council and operated by Simon Community Scotland can find them and get them the right support.
"The helpline number is 0800 027 7466. More information on support and advice on other existing services in communities, including homeless services, is available at gethelpglasgow.com
“Both Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Health & Social Care Partnership are partners in the alliance and are encouraging people to contact the RSVP team to help rough sleepers.”
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