THE number of homeless people seeking refuge in a night shelter has risen by nearly 40% in the past four years.

Hundreds of people are expected to sleep in Glasgow City Mission's emergency winter accommodation over the next three months after it opened on Monday.

Last year a total of 358 people visited the shelter 1273 times - 37% more than in 2010/11 when 261 users were recorded.

The shelter at Renfield St Stephen's Church Centre in Bath Street, which is now in its fifth year, opens from 10.30pm every day until the end of February and it is staffed by workers as well as volunteers.

Figures show last year the majority of people - 93% - were male, and the youngest person recorded was 16 years old.

Chief executive of the charity Grant Campbell said: "We are seeing a rise in young people who are presenting on the streets.

"Legal highs are having an effect on young people and addictions.

"This is not your stereotypical guy in his 40s or 50s with a long beard. There are all ages on the streets who are struggling."

Grant said there were several reasons why people become homeless at this time of year.

He said: "We'll have that Christmas scenario where relationships are under pressure and some people may have been sofa surfing, so they are still technically homeless, but we just don't see them on the street - they are invisible to us.

"So eventually people are told they have to move on, they just can't stay there any longer."

When people are made homeless they can go to council-run facilities, such as the Hamish Allan Centre but, says Grant, some people do not get in immediately.

He said: "Sometimes they go and there's no accommodation available."

Grant said that after being asked to leave, prison release is the next most common reason for being homeless.

He said: "It's still common-place for people to have nowhere to go at 5pm on a Friday when they have got out of prison."

Addictions and loan sharks are also issues that can drive people into sleeping rough.

Grant said: "Christmas is the worst time of all for guys who are lonely, or who have addiction issues, because many services aren't around, the streets are quiet.

"We know the state of economy and we know pressure has been put on to those who are struggling. People make one mistake by using a payday len-der and it spirals out of control."

The charity works with around 10 men who have become so used to sleeping rough that they refuse to seek shelter.

He said: "They can't cope with other people.Their lives are broken so they just hide. It would only be if the weather got so bad and things were really critical that we could tempt them to come in."

Grant said the longer people sleep rough the harder it is to get accommodation.

He said: "If people become homeless, particularly those from the military, they think they are able to sleep rough and they can do one night.

"But we know that the moment people do three nights or more they lose the fear of it and they'll keep doing it.

"But people are emotionally low - you've got to be in a really bad way to be prepared to sleep rough."

rachel.loxton@eveningtimes.co.uk