A rundown resort accused of being run like an “open jail” is raking in as much as one million kilos a yr of taxpayers’ money to accommodate the homeless.
The Queen’s Park Lodge in Glasgow prices the town council £1400 a month for one single room with shared rest room amenities.
The resort pockets an astonishing £2800 a month in housing profit per homeless couple for a shabby double room – with one room we noticed containing a chair, a mattress, damaged chest of drawers, a TV hanging off the wall and an ensuite bathe room.
For a similar cash you can decide up a luxurious three bed room, two toilet mews in Park Circus, probably the most prestigious handle in Glasgow.
No less than 4 doubles may be rented out for couples, which provides as much as a staggering £134,400 a yr alone.
Final month the resort accommodated 57 homeless visitors in 55 rooms, 44 males and 13 girls – most of them native homeless folks. Repeated over a complete yr that might take the overall earnings the resort receives to £957,600.
The resort is owned by Malvin Dale Ltd whose director is Mohammed Ikram Hussein, and is run by operations supervisor Mukul Biswas.
One Queen’s Park resort resident stated their soiled single room consisted of a mattress with a grimy mattress, an “unhygienic carpet” and entry to a defective rest room which needed to be flushed with a bucket for days earlier than it was fastened.
The resident stated: “There's stickiness, drops and stains in every single place, together with streaks of what I’d reasonably not establish are on the mattress cowl.”
There isn't any cooking tools aside from a microwave and there aren't any laundry amenities. A resident who makes use of one of many 12 shared bogs stated the sink of their room “triples for cleansing myself, washing dishes, and washing laundry, as I can't afford the exorbitant costs on the launderette.”
They haven't any entry to a fridge so residents resort to having to retailer their very own perishables like butter and milk on the window sill, together with meals which the birds then feast on.
The resort price does embody a “continental breakfast” with out selections, which is 35g of both Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies, three biscuits, concentrated fruit juice, a tea bag and a one cup pouch of instantaneous espresso, a small pack of milk, and 4 sugar sachets.
Lunch is provided by the charity Nicely Fed and is similar piece of cake, small pack of concentrated apple juice, bag of crisps, an apple and ranging sandwiches day-after-day. No dinner is supplied to the residents and most need to survive on low-cost junk meals like chips and crisps.
The principles within the resort insist residents can’t take their lunch outdoors or they'll have their room “cancelled” and be thrown out.
They aren't allowed to speak to one another within the resort neighborhood which incorporates the road, no visitors are allowed and permission is required for an in a single day stick with associates or household elsewhere.
One resident stated they have been informed in the event that they sat within the sunshine at a close-by church, they might be barred.
A resident stated: “I used to be informed the home guidelines have been – minding your individual enterprise, to not discuss to different residents, not go into anybody else’s room, and never letting anybody enter your room.
“I used to be additionally knowledgeable in regards to the midnight curfew, after which I might not be let into the resort however must name my case employee. How is it authorized for a resort proprietor to run a resort like an open jail, by public contract no much less?”
The resort provides “emergency” lodging for homeless folks and by legislation they need to be there for a most of seven days. However in line with a freedom of knowledge request to the native authority, within the seven months from September 2021 to Could 2022 there have been 315 particular person stays, of which 70 per cent exceeded the statutory seven day most.
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The information confirmed that in September final yr the resort had accommodated a resident for 16 months.
Most of the residents at Queen’s Park have psychological well being and habit points however as a result of it's a resort, employees don’t want coaching or disclosure checks for working with susceptible folks.
One resident stated: “My psychological well being is getting worse day-after-day. If you end up not even allowed to talk to different residents you'll be able to’t also have a chat when you find yourself down. I spend a lot of the day sleeping as a result of there isn't a cause to be awake.
“Even prisoners are allowed to talk to one another. We're always in concern of being “cancelled” which suggests they chuck you on the road. It’s horrible. It's inhumane.”
The rooms and beds are cleaned as soon as per week however residents aren't given their very own cleansing merchandise and one woman who unintentionally bought interval blood on a sheet claimed she was humiliated when she needed to present the stain to a male employee earlier than getting contemporary bedding.
Neighbours of the resort wrote to their MSP Paul Sweeney complaining of delinquent behaviour, elevating considerations for the residents’ welfare after witnessing altercations with employees.
Sweeney stated: “I used to be horrified to listen to of among the incidents of delinquent behaviour going down in and across the Queen’s Park Lodge. It’s abundantly clear that the resort homeowners are raking in big income from contracts with Glasgow Metropolis Council to supply emergency lodging that's solely unsuitable for homeless folks, and that they're failing each of their obligation of care in direction of those that reside there and of their obligation to the residents who stay within the neighbouring properties.
“There have been considerations raised in regards to the situations throughout the resort and the therapy of these dwelling there.
“I'll proceed to name for harder motion towards the homeowners of the resort who're failing of their obligation to maintain these dwelling there secure and reiterate the purpose that any organisation in receipt of public cash needs to be held to the best of requirements. I don't imagine that's the case on this occasion.”
Now neighbours in the identical leafy residential road have additionally raised considerations in regards to the welfare of residents within the resort.
A neighbour stated: “The resort is sick geared up for its present position. We deserve higher and so do the visitors of the resort.”
A Glasgow Metropolis Council spokeswoman stated: “The council has an obligation to supply emergency lodging to the homeless and utilises a spread of lodging together with plenty of B&B kind institutions.
“Those that are accommodated in a resort or B&B obtain help from case staff and our homelessness workforce liaises immediately with lodging operators on a routine foundation.
“As with most mattress and breakfast institutions, a curfew shall be in place to be able to make sure the consolation and security of all residents.”
The Queen’s Park Lodge has been approached for remark.
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