Mother and Children Left Without Shelter Amid Council Communication Failure in Glasgow

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A mother and her two young children were left without a place to stay in Glasgow after a communications outage at Glasgow City Council disrupted access to emergency housing support. The woman, accompanied by her six-year-old daughter and seven-month-old baby, sought help from a local volunteer-run shelter after being removed from temporary accommodation.

The incident occurred on the evening of Monday, 28 July, when the woman arrived at the Homeless Project Scotland’s night shelter on Glassford Street around 9:30 pm. Volunteers at the charity were alarmed to find the mother and her children without shelter, especially given the children’s young ages. According to the charity’s founder, Colin McInnes, the family would have been left to “walk the streets of Glasgow all night” had the shelter not been available.

The council’s phone lines were reportedly down on Monday evening, making it impossible for the woman to reach support services. Volunteers at Homeless Project Scotland eventually succeeded in contacting the appropriate council departments, and by approximately 12:30 am, the family was collected and placed back into temporary accommodation. McInnes explained that the issue arose after the Health and Social Care team failed to inform the accommodation provider of the need to extend the family’s stay, leading to their removal.

On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Homeless Project Scotland stated: “Glasgow City Council phone lines were down. No support was available. If our volunteer-run shelter didn’t exist, this newborn and their mum would have been sleeping on the streets of Glasgow.”

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council acknowledged the disruption, stating: “We regret there was a period of time last night when the public could not make contact with council services. Alternative contact details were communicated, and the issue was resolved promptly.”

The situation has raised concerns about the resilience of support systems for vulnerable families and the reliability of local authority communication infrastructure, especially in urgent situations involving children. The actions of Homeless Project Scotland volunteers prevented what could have been a potentially dangerous night for a mother and her two young children.