A total of 1,091 unique guests came through the doors this season, double the number the charity saw in 2022/23. The number of presentations over the four months was 4,810, which was triple the number of last year.

Glasgow City Mission said it has run 14 consecutive winter projects and described this as “by far the busiest”.

Last season, 2022/23, the charity transitioned to take a new approach in hosting the OWC in its day centre building. Instead of having beds on site, it accessed emergency beds across the city from a number of sources. Despite some initial apprehension from partners about taking this approach in 2022, it was a great success with over 90% of guests moving on to positive destinations. Most eligible guests were accommodated on the night by the Out of Hours service from the Glasgow City HSCP.

However, as Glasgow City Mission prepared to open the OWC for the 2023/24 season, Glasgow City Council declared a housing emergency on 30 November.

As the report details, the consequences of the housing crisis were evident throughout the winter with an unprecedented number of guests accessing the service. The demand for
emergency beds was exceptionally high, resulting in the majority of guests not being accommodated. Instead, they had to wait inside the OWC where Glasgow City Mission was able to keep them warm and safe.

The report goes into detail about the guests, partnerships, operations and then the charity’s conclusions.