ANGRY East End residents are demanding that one of Glasgow's oldest homeless hostels is shut down.
ANGRY East End residents are demanding that one of Glasgow's oldest homeless hostels is shut down.
Angela Lauder, who lives behind the Bellgrove Hotel in Gallowgate, claims local streets have become a no-go area for women, children and the elderly because of anti-social behaviour involving homeless men.
The 45-year-old mum of two says she's witnessed fights between hostel residents and visitors, and says families are afraid to use the corner shop or walk near groups of alcoholics who congregate in the street.
Angela, a shop worker, has lived in her Comelypark Street home with son Jordan, 15, daughter Aimee, 13, and 74-year-old father Patrick for six years.
She said: "Living next to the Bellgrove is a total nightmare. I don't let my kids play near the house, and my dad rarely goes out alone."
The manager of the Bellgrove Hotel, which is across the road from St Mungo's Academy, described allegations of troublemaking as "totally unfounded". And police said the hostel was "not of immediate concern".
The Bellgrove has been a homeless hostel since the 1970s and has 160 residents, who almost all who have serious alcohol problems.
Some are referred there by homeless workers on an emergency basis and stay for a few weeks, while others have lived there for more than 30 years.
According to Angela, the problems escalated earlier this year when Glasgow City Council closed hostels as part of a shake-up of homeless services.
Angela said: "The men moved here en masse.
"I used to feel sorry for people in that situation, but not any more.
"Now I drive all the way to Bridgeton for a pint of milk instead of walking to the local shop a few yards away."
One of her neighbours, who did not want to be named, added: "The hostel is an eyesore - there are undesirables hanging around all the time."
As reported earlier this year in the Evening Times, social work chiefs believe smaller, specialist units will better solve the homeless problems.
But hostel manager Joe McKee, who has run the Bellgrove for 14 years, said the place was providing a much-needed service.
He added: "The vast majority of our residents are honest men and rarely cause trouble.
"I don't allow anyone with a drug problem in, and our staff work very hard with residents to help them with their problems.
"We've made significant improvements over the last few years.
"If we weren't here there would be nowhere else for the vast majority of these men to go.
"They would end up in sleeping bags under bridges."
The Evening Times understands the hostel's owners, Care Side Hotels, are willing to put significant investment into the building and services.
Superintendent David Marsh, from London Road police station, said the hostel was not a major concern for his officers. He added: "Our call-outs are infrequent, and almost all related to a sudden death or internal incidents.
"Our figures show that the biggest problems in the Gallowgate area relate to youth crime, and in particular gangs.
"Most of the men at the hostel are extremely vulnerable and far more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators."
Labour MSP Frank McAveety said the hostel should close in the "medium to long-term".
He added: "We need to find more suitable accommodation for these vulnerable men.
"It is unsustainable that we have a hostel next to a secondary school and residential accommodation."
A spokesman for the city council said: "Social work services would only refer homeless men to the Bellgrove Hotel as an absolute last resort."
TIMES FILE
1300 a year sent to city hostels
- THE Glasgow Homeless-ness Network says there were more than 1300 referrals to hostels last year
- Around 330 people sleep rough in the city every night - 100 fewer than in 2003
- In 2003, Glasgow City Council made the decision to close all its large-scale male hostels - including James Duncan House in Calton; Neil Robertson House, in Bridgeton; and Peter McCann House, in Townhead. Collectively they provided 700 beds
- The Great Eastern Hotel, a privately-owned hostel in Duke Street, closed in 2001
- Glasgow's only hostel for women - Inglefield House, in Govanhill - is also due to shut
- A total of 610 places have been created in smaller, specialised community-based projects. However, critics say some vulnerable homeless people are still falling through the safety net
