A homeless man has lifted the lid on his “disgusting” stay at a filthy Scots hostel which cost the public purse more than £200 every week.

Marius Samavicius has described how he lost all hope when he was forced to live at the Copland Hotel in Glasgow for two months - sleeping in a dirty, bug-infested room on a soiled bed.

The 29-year-old art graduate, who found himself homeless after moving to Glasgow from England earlier this year, told the Record he wanted to speak out to help protect other vulnerable people who have been stuck in the Govan hostel for months on end.

Marius took pictures of the dirt in his room

Meanwhile, a homeless charity said it had already lodged multiple complaints with the city council over conditions there - which previous residents have branded “diabolical” in online reviews, saying they were left “scared” and “hungry”.

Marius said: “This place made me feel like no one cares and I felt like I didn’t have any hope after studying so hard.

“This hotel is a business and was taking £800 a month for me to live like this.

“For the council to keep sending people to this place is a huge waste of tax payers’ money.”

Marius grew up in poverty in Lithuania and moved to the UK a decade ago, where he worked in factories and learned English.

After studying fine art in Bournemouth, he fulfilled his dream of moving to Glasgow six months ago in the hope of finding a job, but costs of accommodation spiralled as the city emerged from its second lockdown and Marius had soon run out of savings.

He went to Glasgow City Council for help and was given emergency accommodation at the Copland.

Bedsheets Marius was forced to sleep on

He said: “There were a lot of insects and when I opened my room it was full of flies. There was mess on the floor and walls.

“I was given unclean bedsheets and towels and when I asked to change my room my new room was even worse.

“I understood the situation I found myself in being homeless. I can live in very basic conditions, but this place is just so dirty I was worrying about my health - especially during a pandemic.

“There was a lot of noise and shouting.

“I was worried this was the rest of my life.

“I met some people who had been there six months or even longer.”

Marius said he spent his first two days hungry before learning the price of his accommodation should include three meals a day.

He said food was of a poor quality and not always available.

Marius said food options were scarce and poor

He also claims that staff were not always wearing face masks and some would enter rooms without knocking and treat vulnerable residents poorly.

Marius said: “The food seemed to be from charities but you didn’t know how long it had been there and the packaging was sometimes open.

“I got upset when I received a letter from the council and learned my weekly housing benefit was £206.82.

“I spoke to staff and requested more provisions, like toilet paper and clean towels.

“I didn’t want to complain too much at the time because I was already in a vulnerable position and I didn’t want to be disadvantaged.”

Marius has lodged a formal complaint against the Copland Hotel

After eight weeks at the hostel, Marius said he was offered far superior temporary accommodation nearby.

After leaving, he lodged a formal complaint with the hotel and council.

He said: “I’m in a better situation now but I still worry about the people there. I felt like if I didn’t speak up I would be a hypocrite.”

Colin McInnes, chairman of Homeless Project Scotland, said Marius’ experience was not an isolated one.

He said: “We have made complaints to the council several times with regard to the conditions of this accommodation.

“We’ve also invited Susanne Miller and Jim McBride (chief officer and head of homeless services at Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership) to come and live there, bring their families and have Christmas in these places - because they’re disgusting

“You could live in a five bed house in Shawlands or a penthouse for £800 a month.

“The reason this is happening is because there’s a lack of compassion and care.”

A soiled mattress in Marius' room

Scottish Labour’s Housing spokesperson Mark Griffin said the amount of people stuck in temporary accommodation was a “national scandal”.

He said: “These sobering reports of woeful temporary accommodation must be a wake-up call.

“Sadly far too many people in Scotland are in the same position as Mr Samavicius – stuck in limbo for weeks and months, with many forced to live in totally unacceptable conditions.

“We urgently need to raise standards in temporary accommodation – but we also need to stop so many people being trapped there in the first place.

“People deserve safe, secure accommodation of their own. The SNP must stop relying on this sticking plaster approach, and come up with a real housing strategy."

Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland, said Marius’ experience was “completely unacceptable”.

She said: “Life can be a nightmare for people in temporary accommodation with no safe, permanent place to live, so to be faced with these conditions for this length of time is unthinkable.

“People should not have to worry about having access to clean and safe facilities.

“Good quality temporary accommodation is the cornerstone of our housing safety net. Hotels should only be used in exceptional circumstances and only for a few days.

“The true impact of this is not just the money that it costs local authorities and individuals to stay in temporary accommodation – it is those who have lost their homes and find that the only help available is a dirty hotel room, inappropriate or missing meals and a lack of consideration around Covid restrictions.

“We are urging the Scottish Government to ensure there is enough affordable housing for everyone who needs it, so no one has to face living in temporary accommodation for long periods or paying for housing that doesn’t meet their individual needs.

“We need to give hope to struggling families so that everyone can have the foundation of a safe, secure and affordable home.”

The Copland Hotel has been providing accommodation for the council for 20 years

The Copland Hotel said it had been working for Glasgow City Council for over 20 years.

A spokesman said: “We are regularly inspected by the council and we comply with all the council regulations.

“We are only paid to provide accommodation and breakfast, but during this pandemic the council was providing meals for the residents in the lounge. This particular resident often refused to get the food from the lounge as he wanted to have it in the room.

“In relation to cleanliness, we have 24 hour staff, including cleaners and maintenance, working to maintain standards, and I would like to mention that this particular resident on several occasions did not allow cleaners to go into his room. At all times residents are provided with toilet rolls and basic services.

“Mr Samavicius is providing a misleading picture of our business. His complaint to us did not mention his intention to benefit other residents, he requested a refund, for services he has not paid.

“I can assure you that our business and Glasgow City Council are working very hard to provide a good service and help to the most disadvantaged members of our society.

“Council staff are working on our premises on a daily basis providing further help for homeless people and we would not be an accommodation provider for the council if they were not satisfied with our services.”

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “B&B or hotel accommodation is only used in emergencies and then only for as short a period as possible.

“People facing homelessness who are accommodated in a B&B or hotel will receive support from caseworkers and our homelessness team liaises directly with the accommodation operators on a routine basis.

“If we receive complaints about the accommodation or support available at a premises we will take these up with the operators of those premises.

“Work is underway to improve both the accommodation and the support that is available at these premises.

“The amount of housing benefit spent on accommodating a homeless individual reflects the cost of the accommodation but also the cost of delivering support services to that individual.”

The Scottish Government said it was “working to end homelessness and rough sleeping once and for all” with an investment of more than £50 million over this parliamentary term.

It said £37.5 million had already been given to local authorities to find more permanent homes for those in temporary accommodation.

A spokesman said: “We will also be introducing new laws to prevent homelessness before it occurs, and improving co-operation between health and housing services, with specific measures to help those with more complex needs.”

Former residents slam 'diabolical' Copland Hotel in online reviews

Scathing online reviews of the Copland have been left by former guests who described feeling “scared” and “hungry”.

One review, posted on google earlier this year, said: “This place is NOT a HOTEL it’s a HOSTEL that should have been closed along time ago.

“The staff have absolutely no respect for anyone who has been given a room from the homeless casework team.

“The rooms are absolutely diabolical riddled with rats, bed bud and other vermin, the bathrooms are covered in mold.

“Something needs to be done about this horrible place!!!!”

Another review, posed two years ago, said: “That place should be shut down, simple as that. It’s extremely dirty, it’s not safe and it’s not a place anyone should ever end up at.”

One desperate resident, who stayed three years ago, said: “Not good place cant make life here always i hair voices cant sleep am scare always police here.

“And to cold am also hungry. I dont know how make life am tired in here.”

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