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Man robbed and 'p****d on in doorway' as he says 'it's degrading'

Kieran McCusker, 30, says he has been robbed, assaulted and urinated on while sleeping rough on Glasgow's streets after being declared homeless

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Norman Silvester

16:43, 21 Jun 2026

[Kieran McCusker]

Kieran McCusker(Image: DAILY RECORD)

A man forced into sleeping has been robbed, assaulted, and even urinated on. Kieran McCusker, 30, from Dumfries became homeless three months ago following the breakdown of a relationship in his hometown.

He subsequently relocated to Glasgow, hoping to find work and accommodation; however, he ended up on the streets after being declared homeless. Kieran's story is all too common among the growing number of people sleeping rough in Scotland's largest city.

New data, disclosed by Glasgow City Council under the Freedom of Information Act, reveals that the number of rough sleepers has surged by over 250 percent in the last five months. Between January 1 and February 15 this year, there were 203 rough sleepers in Glasgow.

[Homeless man sleeping rough in Glasgow's Buchanan Street]

Homeless man sleeping rough in Glasgow's Buchanan Street(Image: DAILY RECORD)

By March 30, this figure had increased to 372, and by May 15, it had risen further to 552, representing a 271 percent rise.

Campaigners have urged for more homes to be constructed to take people off the streets. One described the city as being in the midst of a "homeless catastrophe", reports the Daily Record.

The various places Kieran has resorted to sleeping rough in Glasgow include a cemetery, under a railway bridge, and a bush.

On one occasion, when he managed to get into a shelter, he spent the night sleeping on the floor with ten other men. To survive, Kieran is forced to beg on the street, but faces threats of violence from other homeless individuals who want to take over his "pitch".

After losing his home, he spent several nights sleeping rough on the streets in Dumfries before relocating to Glasgow. Kieran revealed: "I have slept rough in all sorts of places including the doorway of a McDonald's".

[Kieran McCusker has endured a lot on the streets]

Kieran McCusker(Image: DAILY RECORD)

"It is embarrassing, it is degrading. it' not something that you want to be doing. I have been robbed three time since I came to Glasgow.

"I have been p****d on sleeping in a doorway and assaulted in a doorway. There is not enough money being used to support people who are sleeping rough.

"The Scottish Government never do enough for homeless people. You can scream and shout and beg as much as you want but you are never going to be listened to. We are living off nothing."

Kieran says he is on a waiting list for a furnished flat and is eager to return to work. He added: "I have worked since I was 14 until last year.

"Any job I can get I have done it. I want to get back into work."

In recent days, Kieran has managed to secure a place in a homeless hotel, but prior to that, he had been sleeping rough. On one occasion, he ended up in hospital after his blanket and sleeping bag were stolen, forcing him to sleep in a bush.

Another regular rough sleeper, Jacqueline from Springburn in Glasgow, says it is difficult to secure any type of accommodation, which is why so many end up on the streets. The 41 year old mother of two began sleeping rough after being evicted from her privately rented flat in East Kilbride three years ago.

In recent weeks, she has managed to secure a furnished flat in the Govanhill area of Glasgow but states it's a challenge for individuals like her to find a place to live. She added: "They need to start building for the homeless.

"All the marches and protests you see in Glasgow you don't see any for the homeless. I feel we are forgotten."

[Colin McInnes]

Colin McInnes from Homeless Project Scotland(Image: DAILY RECORD)

Colin McInnes from the Glasgow-based charity Homeless Project Scotland believes there are significantly more people sleeping rough in the city than council figures indicate. An average of around 1023 individuals seek refuge at their city-centre shelter each month due to having nowhere else to go.

Colin reveals they have received calls from individuals forced to sleep in tents, cars, gardens, bus shelters and tenement closes and believes these are not included in the official statistics. Colin added: "People come to us because they have been sleeping rough and have stumbled across our shelter and our service.

"Nobody chooses to sleep rough. People who sleep in our shelter are also classed as rough sleeping because they are sleeping on a mattress on a floor. That is 33 people every night.

"They are legally entitled to accommodation but it is not being provided for them. The council are more than aware of this.

"We also have people at night sleeping in the streets in tents outside our doors .The courts recognise that as rough sleeping."

[Sean Clerkin]

Sean Clerkin wants to end homelessness(Image: DAILY RECORD)

Sean Clerkin, Campaign Coordinator for the Scottish Tenants Organisation, who obtained the FOI figures, stated: "The rapid rise in those sleeping rough on the streets of Glasgow shows the extent of the housing and homelessness catastrophe across the country. We need thousands of new homes quickly where we can house homeless people instead of abandoning them."

The FOI report also reveals that 9113 homeless individuals are currently residing in temporary accommodation in Glasgow such as hotels and B&Bs, of which 3246 are children. Stella Rooney, of the tenants union Living Rent said: "No-one should have to spend a night sleeping on the streets, and it's shameful that the number of rough sleepers in our city has shot up.

"Each of the 552 people who have had to put their life at risk by sleeping rough has been failed by landlords, housing associations, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government. Just now Glasgow is splashing out to host the Commonwealth Games, developers are spending millions on building student accommodation and unaffordable luxury flats across our city.

"There is money, there is just no political will to stop this shocking increase in rough sleeping."

[Maeve McGoldrick of Crisis Scotland]

Maeve McGoldrick of Crisis Scotland(Image: HANDOUT)

Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications at homeless charity Crisis Scotland, expressed: "These figures are deeply concerning and reflect a trend we are seeing in communities across Scotland. The fact that rough sleeping is continuing to rise is a clear sign that Scotland's homelessness system is under immense pressure.

"Too many people are reaching crisis point before they can get the support they need."

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, who hold responsibility for homeless services, remarked: "We receive weekly reports from the Simon Community who are commissioned to provide outreach support and keep track on rough sleeping trends in the city. This gives us accurate, real-time information rather than relying on self-reporting.

"We acknowledge there can be weekly fluctuations, especially in cases where we don't hold a statutory responsibility, including people with no recourse to public funds, people with existing tenancies and those who, although have been offered accommodation, choose not to occupy it.

"That said, we continue to engage with those we do have a responsibility for, ensuring emergency accommodation provision is available wherever possible. Given the current pressures and the lack of an accessible housing supply we understand the level of risk which could impact rough sleeping and we review and respond to this weekly with key partners."

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government stated: "Everyone in Scotland has a right to support when experiencing homelessness, and we expect councils to fulfil their duties to provide settled accommodation, and safe, suitable temporary accommodation if it is needed. The legal duty for preventing and responding to homelessness sits with local authorities, We are providing Glasgow City Council with 123 million this year through our Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

"We recognise the significant pressures on homelessness services and are taking decisive action through our Housing Emergency Action Plan, which commits up to 4.9 billion over four years to deliver around 36,000 affordable homes."

Last month, the Daily Record disclosed that the cost of housing homeless individuals in B&Bs and hotels in Glasgow has tripled to nearly 68million since 2022. The rise has been attributed to an influx of migrants granted leave to remain after applying for asylum in the UK.

Refugees have a legal right to be housed in Scotland, a right not present in England.

We also unveiled a 20 percent increase in the number of people across Scotland evicted from social housing - primarily due to rent arrears. Glasgow City Council first declared a housing emergency in November 2023.

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