THE SKIES in Glasgow were gloomy and overcast on Friday and by the time the call came through that afternoon with the potential offer of a flat, Paul – who had been placed in a hostel after his previous unit closed due to funding cuts implemented last week – found it hard to summon up much cheer.

He claims he was doing well in the supported accommodation unit he previously lived for more than two years. There, he says, he faced up to addiction issues and had been in recovery. But with just hours until its doors were due to close for the final time, he still did not have a place to live.

Though he had been identified as suitable for Housing First – which means he was eligible for a flat that met his needs with support on hand – the only one he was offered overlooked Nazareth House, the children’s home where he was serially abused for years. He turned it down.

READ MORE: Children in care suffered sexual abuse of 'utmost depravity', says inquiry

Finally, a place was found, this time in a council-run supported accommodation unit, where he has been staying for eight days and counting. The weekly cost of the unit is set by Glasgow City Council at £316.89.

Paul (now 60) claims that the stress involved in the move, combined with the ready availability of illegal substances within the unit where he is currently living, means he has started using drugs again.

By mid-afternoon on Friday, though the offer of another flat was on the table at last, the tension was taking its toll and he was finding it difficult to believe this offer represented the fresh start he wants.

The cuts of over £3million to existing services by third sector providers involved the loss of tens of beds in supported accommodation units. They were agreed last year, confirmed in May and came into force on 1 October.

Despite assurances that everyone would be rehoused, the Sunday National has reported concerns over the last month of those left in limbo, for whom permanent accommodation could not be found in time.

The National: Residential institutions run by the Sisters of Nazareth (SoN) were "places of fear, hostility and confusion" and left many traumatised for lifeResidential institutions run by the Sisters of Nazareth (SoN) were "places of fear, hostility and confusion" and left many traumatised for life

Glasgow City Council claims Paul is one of just a handful of affected people left in temporary accommodation. The Sunday National understands that three older men have remained in the supported accommodation unit they have regarded as home for 20 years, awaiting a suitable alternative, thanks to the intervention of Govan Law Centre.

A small number are in temporary furnished flats awaiting homes that have not yet come through.

The hostel – comprising of a number of self-contained bedsits – is the fifth that Paul has been placed in over the last three years. His story is messy and highlights the ramifications of trauma and abuse.

“I was taken into care when I was four days old,” he says. While in care he was physically and sexually abused for years, including in Glasgow’s Nazareth House. He has submitted evidence to the Historic Abuse inquiry but doesn’t feel positive about the process.

Last time he was put in a temporary flat far from the city centre, his volunteer job at Glasgow City Mission – and without support – he ended up self-harming. He’s made suicide attempts in the past.

He claims people like him, who struggle with addiction and mental health problems, are judged by both service providers and the public.

“But no child says: “I want to be an alcohol, a drug addict like my da,”” he counters. I woke up last Thursday and my supported accommodation unit was closing and I still didn’t know where I was going. In the end I got 20 minutes to pack. I know some of the other ones have gone to temporary accommodation while they’re waiting for their houses to be ready.

“I was told [his hostel] was brand new and so I took it. But it’s back to being in the type of place I was all those years ago.

‘‘I’ve left a dry house [no alcohol] – that was supposed to be the final step before getting my own place. But now I feel they’ve put me back into hell. I’m just so sick of it.”

The potential offer of a flat is welcome, but feels hollow, he says. He filled in forms weeks ago but when he needed someone urgently was told no flats were available.

Gordon MacRae, head of communications and policy, at Shelter Scotland says reports of people who “were stabilising their life in supported accommodation” being placed in unsuitable temporary accommodation due to Glasgow City Council’s cuts were “deeply worrying”.

“At the very time when Glasgow is supposed to be moving towards a system of rapid rehousing that reduces the time people spend in temporary accommodation it is beyond parody that the council is instead doing the opposite,” he added.

Last Tuesday the charity confirmed that it will be taking forward its threats of legal action against Glasgow City Council for “systemic failures” to accommodate those who were entitled to housing.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman added: “We are continuing to work with the gentleman to find him appropriate tenancy. As a housing first client, he continues to receive significant support – including access to 24hr support, if required.”