Helping the Homeless in Glasgow - Registered Charity SC052348 SCIO
We are a dedicated charity taking over the work (from July 2023) previously supported by HSS (Humanist Society Scotland) for many years under the Project - StreetCare.
So who are StreetCare Volunteers (SCV) ?
A new charity which is run by 3 Trustees and a small team of volunteers.
No one is employed / staffed by the charity, everyone’s time is volunteered / donated.
We are the only charity in Glasgow that pro-actively searches the streets of Glasgow weekly, 52 weeks a year in search of those in need who may not be able to or feel comfortable accessing standard services. We do not judge or means test to access assistance, all we ask is that people are respectful and courteous.
We have no religious ties or affiliations. While some members comes from a Humanist background due to it's previous support, this is not a requirement and we ask all volunteers not to use our platform for religious purposes.
Our purpose
To assist the “Homeless” and others on the pavement / Shelters who are in need of assistance. This may be visually / verbally / writing asking for help, looking like they need assistance or simply presenting as in need of assistance.
Assistance comes in the form of the 3 initiates below -
- To provide hot drinks, soup, other foods and warm clothing on a non-judgemental basis for those who present as needing support – “Homeless”.
- To provide a listening ear for people who find themselves living in isolation and providing information on services and organisations available to assist those in need.- “Homeless”
- To promote the ethos of ‘zero waste’ by working with stores in central Glasgow to ensure that any food that they have, due to be disposed of, can be used by the project. By distributing these goods to those who present as needing support or to “Homeless” shelters
What we do
We have 2 main activities for volunteers to participate in.
Note - We always have space for more 'admin' helpers too if your more introverted or issues with mobility.
T-Walk
This is the customer facing side of the charity. Every Wednesday evening from 8pm, volunteers meet at Bothwell Street - Glasgow City Centre. Team Leaders will break the volunteers into teams and routes throughout the City Centre and Surrounding areas on both walking and driving routes (Team Leaders will provide car for driving route). Here Volunteers will engage with customers who may need our services, be this a listening ear / human interaction or food, clothing, refreshments etc. Below are some of the items regularly given.
- Goodie bags (Homemade sandwiches, crisps and biscuit / chocolate
- Homemade Soup / Irn - Bru (Full Sugar)
- Donated goods from Greggs and Sainsburys (varies)
- Donated clothing - Varied sizes and styles
- New socks & underwear
- Toiletries - Soap, Shower Gel, Shampoo, Feminine products, Deodorant, Toothbrushes
- Thermal Gloves, Hats, Scarves, Hand Warmers, Ponchos, Foil Blankets
All we ask is for the Volunteers time on the night. Team Leaders will never refuse offers to make some of the goodie bags, soup or collecting food from shops or dropping off at shelters.
We see anywhere between 30-40 customer per night on the streets directly. In addition to this we donate the remaining goods to various shelters across the city. Typically this is enough to provide an additional 50 / 100+ meals / snacks.
T-Drop
This initiative is run 5 days a week - Monday - Friday between 4pm - 6pm, making 15 different collections during the week.
You need to have a car which your comfortable and able to use within Glasgow City Centre (Note - LEZ Glasgow Restrictions).
This service collects food waste they may have at closing and sees our volunteers distributing these goods to “Homeless” shelters throughout the city.
The quantities collected are entirely unpredictable. but on a conservative basis a lot of our collections will have a retail value well in excess of £100. Our record is about £700 - for one collection! 15 of these collections a week will be valued at comfortably £2000 worth of food. So a lot of food is firstly not going to waste and then is going to people who really need it and whose lives are genuinely enhanced by receiving something which is very practical, as in immediately consumable, and which is often a little out of the ordinary for them. Our "clients" at the hostels, and at the care homes where any flowers are typically taken, may number up to 200 in a week, and we know from the consistent response we receive from those clients, how much what we do, is appreciated.