A CHARITY which has dished out thousands of meals to Glasgow’s homeless is at “breaking point” due to a lack of storage space. 

Homeless Project Scotland bosses have warned the group is “bursting at the seams” and won’t be able to continue if it doesn’t find a new home. 

Currently based under the Hielanman’s Umbrella on Argyle Street, the charity has seen a surge in demand for its services during the last year and is now running out of room to store food, personal protective equipment (PPE), and many other of its products. 

Glasgow Times: Volunteers like Stevie support thousands from the Argyle Street branch Volunteers like Stevie support thousands from the Argyle Street branch

Colin McInnes, co-founder of Homeless Project Scotland, said: “We are at breaking point because of storage. 

“It’s now coming to the point where we can’t even store PPE. If we can’t store PPE, then we can’t continue to do what we are doing.

“We are bursting at the seams and we don’t have a big enough premises. We are a charity who are sitting in a city that has lots of empty buildings and we can’t get one at all. Free or to pay for. To continue to do what we are doing. We are mega at breaking point.

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“We just had a delivery of 200,000 masks and we have nowhere to store them. It’s like: ‘what do we do?’. So many landlords sitting with empty buildings. It’s unbelievable.” 

During the last year, Mr McInnes said the charity has run 144 soup kitchens, provided over 55,000 litres of hot food, and topped up over 200 mobile phones. 

He also said over 2000 toiletry packages had been supplied to those who need them most. 

Despite the growing demand for its services, Mr McInnes says pleas to local businesses and landlords for the use of space have so far fallen on deaf ears. 

“The hope would be for someone to come forward and offer us a space,” he said. “We need help. The demand for our services has shot up. The last thing I want is for our charity to collapse because we don’t the space to go on.

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“This is putting pressure on the volunteers and pressure on the service users. It’s having a knock-on effect on everyone.” 

Speaking as a local councillor, Lord Provost Philip Braat, who has worked closely with the charity and even spent New Year’s Day dishing out meals, said: “I am very supportive of the work carried out by Colin and the team and all the volunteers at Homeless Project Scotland. 

“Having been out to help them a couple of times, I have seen first-hand the tireless work they do to help those vulnerable in our society, but also the great need there remains.

Glasgow Times: Lord Provost Philip Braat has promised to help the charity Lord Provost Philip Braat has promised to help the charity (Image: Glasgow Times)

"It was pleasing that they opened new premises last year, but the fact that their work has now outgrown this space is sadly indicative of the fact that their work remains necessary. I will help them as best I can in finding alternative premises, because, without additional space, the invaluable service they provide could be in jeopardy.”

Anyone who could help Homeless Project Scotland is asked to email office@homelessprojectscotland.org. 

You can also phone 0800 0147 160 or contact the group on its Facebook page.