Every morning and evening the Simon Community street team walk the city centre looking out for people in need of help.

On the Friday morning before Christmas, Robert Mullen and Brian Gallagher are doing the morning walk.

The Simon Community has someone at the Winter Night Shelter in the morning if anyone needs to be taken to council offices to get help with finding accommodation.

On the city centre walk on a cold December morning along Trongate, round Central Station, Buchanan Street, Royal Exchange Square and Queen Street, Robert and Brian are looking out for new faces, anyone who looks like they could be homeless and who need pointing in the direction of the many services in the city.

Many people on the streets during the day are already known to the street team.

As we move through the city centre familiar faces are met with a “hello, how you doing?”

Most nod back or utter something to signal they are ok, and the team leave them alone.

Some they stop and speak to, just to check they really are ok. Sometimes of of the pair will go back and double check there is nothing they can do to help.

We leave the busy streets with people going to work ans shops opening up to go into a city centre lane to a gap site where they know people have been sheltering in a makeshift tent made from beer garden parasols.

No one is there but the lane is littered with bulky debris dumped by local businesses.

They think it could be an attempt to force whoever is using it to move on. If so it looks like it has been unsuccessful.

No-one is there but there are signs it has been occupied recently.

In Trongate, we come across a man known to the team.

Robert said: “He has been helped into accommodation four times but his addiction is too chaotic and he ends up back on the street.”

Robert says they are not there to judge people just offer them help that is available.

Robert,s said: “We are a link between people and services. And help them get into accommodation.”

Both Robert and Brian in their past have experience of some of the issues faced by people on the streets and have a better understanding of the challenges they face than the majority of the population.

Brian, said: “Some people don’t see the person, just a homeless person or an addict.

“We try to help keep people alive long enough to allow them to get help.”

The team members know that what works for one person will not necessarily be suitable for another.

Robert, said: “The night shelter is not for everyone. If you have an addiction you don’t sleep at the same time as everyone else.

“At two in the morning you will likely be up looking for whatever is it you are addicted to.”

The public can contact the Simon Community to seek help for someone they think might need it

If you are concerned about someone homeless or sleeping rough in Glasgow then you can call the Simon Community on the Freephone number: 0800 027 7466.