Residents displaced from their homes after the Glasgow School of Art fire have expressed their frustration at the lack of help accessing accommodation, as they’ve been forced to declare themselves homeless.
One resident, Libbie Usher, told The Big Issue that “nothing seems to be helping except causing a storm online”, and she took to Facebook to explain her situation.
Usher was evacuated from her home in the early hours of the fire but when told it was only for a few days packed just the bare essentials. After six days of trying to access emergency accommodation, she was told she would have to declare herself homeless in order to access any further help.
“I officially declared myself homeless and was told hotels would now be booked on a one night basis. Since then I’ve been sent to a different hotel every night,” she said. “After doing this for around five days I’ve now been told [starting] Monday if I don’t take a flat that I have been offered I will stop getting help, even if the flat isn’t suitable,” she said.
We are working with the stock we have available
But a Glasgow City Council spokesperson today told The Big Issue it’s doing all it can to help residents.
“On accommodation, we are working with the stock we have available – which, as you’ll appreciate, is always the case when people become homeless and require temporary accommodation,” a council spokesperson said in an email.