Amanda Smith’s life was turned upside down when her landlord secured an unopposed eviction from her private rented accommodation in Glasgow. After all, she’d lived there for six years. The eviction rendered her two adult children, ages 23 and 30, suddenly homeless. They eventually escaped into a hotel room paid for by their local council. For the next ten months, they experienced the harsh realities of being homeless firsthand.
Like many travelers stranded in hotels across the country, life was unbearable for Smith’s family while holed up in the hotel. The trio survived on ramen noodles and meals from a Chicago-area soup kitchen to keep themselves afloat. Smith rejected the short term furnished apartment twice. Little did he know then, a permanent housing solution was within reach. Her dreams of a speedy fix came crashing down when sheriff deputies tossed her from her home to the curb last September. This took place after her parents sold her flat.
Beyond discomfort, the experience of living in a hotel room became increasingly untenable. Smith said the lock on her door broke frequently. This resulted in a terrifying near miss when a maintenance worker unknowingly entered their room late one night. This inappropriate entry brought to light the danger that her home arrangement had imposed on her.
“I called the authorities constantly to ask about my housing situation,” Smith recounted. Quite unfortunately, her calls for help went unheard. She said cashing just one welfare check over those 10 months added to her sense of hopelessness.
The isolation, I mean it was, it was the four walls in that room, I mean, just nonstop for 10 months. Smith shared a bit about her mental state as this was all unfolding. She described the emotional toll it took on her self-worth, stating, “And I felt, is that all I’m worth? Am I going to end up like them as well?”
Smith’s experience was not an outlier—in fact, it reflects the difficulties many legally homeless people in Scotland encounter. As homelessness continues to rise, she has become part of a growing statistic of people fighting to regain stability in their lives.
After months of hardship, Amanda Smith was eventually placed in a temporary flat in the south of Glasgow while she awaits a permanent home. She immediately put her name on the waiting list for social housing when she received her eviction notice in March 2024.
Reflecting on her time at the hotel, Smith remarked, “If you were in jail, you’d get three hot meals a day.” This stark comparison shines a light on the lack of support systems in place for those experiencing homelessness. She expressed frustration at the lack of social interaction during her stay: “In jail you would get to mix with people.”
Smith’s description of standing in lines for meals is heartbreaking. She described the chaos surrounding these experiences: “It was scary, standing in their queue… people were always fighting.” The environment was full of anxiety as people fought about smoke and liquor, making for a climate of dread.
Once, a woman reached out and touched me while I was in line, and it genuinely scared me. After that experience, I didn’t come back for a few weeks. Even more, these experiences added to her sense of vulnerability and hopelessness as she navigated this chaotic time in our nation’s history.
For Smith and her family, the hotel room no longer seemed like a stopgap arrangement. It became a cage of the mind. “They always used to congregate outside where my bedroom window was in the hotel,” she recalled. The racket from people congregating in the courtyard only added to the trauma she felt during their visit – and all while they were still there.
