They are the people that Glasgow City Council has been unable to find accommodation for in their time of need.
In a long, drawn-out saga, the Homeless Project Scotland night shelter, where people go for food, a bed and legal advice, has been facing closure as a result of a planning wrangle.
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It has dragged on for too long and this week the drama will see a new episode after a decision, of sorts, by a council committee.
The charity believes the council wants to shut it down and there are some local residents and businesses who definitely want it closed.
On the other hand, there are as many as 300 people a night who not only want it to remain open but rely on it for food and dozens who go every night for shelter.
The accommodation is not ideal, it is a shelter, but a bed in a clean, warm space is preferable to the alternative of a cold, wet doorway, car park or city centre lane.
The charity and its founder, Colin McInnes, are a thorn in the council’s side, but a thorn which, were it to be removed, would leave a gaping hole the local authority would struggle to plug.
Homeless Project Scotland opened the shelter in 2023 and when it was discovered it had no planning consent, the council was told, and they tried to shut it down.
It served an enforcement notice, so the charity made a planning application. It was rejected, so the charity lodged an appeal.
That appeal was heard this week.
During the deliberations of the committee of 12 councillors, there were some astonishing statements.
It became apparent to this observer at least that SNP members on the committee wanted to close it but probably realised it was not a good look and also they did not have certainty over the number of votes needed for a majority.
So, a private session was convened before they came back to make a final decision. A decision that neither closed it nor gave it the go-ahead.
When they came back, the councillors had found a way to reject the appeal, thus voting against the charity but not shutting it down immediately, leaving people facing rough sleeping while winter fast approaches.
Six SNP and one Green members voted to reject the appeal, but give three months for a new application to be submitted.
Five Labour members wanted to grant, with a set period to allow any conditions to be met.
The crux of the arguments against seemed to be that the facility is not as good as it should be and people who are homeless deserve better.
It is precisely because the council is unable, for many reasons and not all under its control, to provide people with the accommodation they are legally entitled to, that this facility exists.
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SNP councillor, Paul Leinster, said: “We should aspire to much better.”
He is, of course, right, but people facing homelessness are being failed daily in Glasgow.
The council breaches the unsuitable accommodation order every day. It turns people away every day.
It puts people in hotels and B&Bs that no-one, if they had any other option, would set foot in, let alone spend the night.
And it pays through the nose for the privilege.
Ken Andrew, the committee chair noted there were no concerns from the fire service but then went on to say he was concerned about fire safety, which he admitted was “not a planning issue”.
When not thinking about his lunch, he noted concerns about gender based toilets and a management plan.
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He said: “I propose we reject this appeal.”
The councillors made a decision on this facility and of the 12 present only one, according to the charity, has visited the premises.
City councillors deliberated on the merits of a charity and the suitability of premises without even bothering to go and see it in operation for themselves.
One said he had “passed by” and saw a queue and used that to make his observations.
This building is 0.2 miles from the City Chambers, a mere four-minute walk.
The councillors all said how difficult this decision was.
If they want to understand difficult, they could visit the shelter in the evening when people turn up and contact the council asking for a bed for the night.
When they are told there is nothing available, if they are among the first 32, they can stay in the shelter overnight and get the benefit of a legal team working to secure them the accommodation they are entitled to.
If they are not, they are faced with the real “difficulty” of wondering where they will spend the night.
Before the planning committee next meets to decide on the future of this shelter, they should meet up and take the short walk to Glassford Street and see for themselves what goes on, compare it to the alternative and some of the paid-for hotels.
Then, they might find they have the information needed to make a conclusive decision.
And the charity might even throw in a lunch.
