THEY had met during the referendum on Scottish independence, talking, and debating on social media. In thick of the campaign, friendships and bonds were made.

After the vote. they wanted to keep in touch, to use the movement they’d created, to do something.

It’ll be a story no doubt familiar to many readers of this paper.

Harry Samh and Karen Martin realised there was a network of people ready to help them help Scotland’s homeless. They’ve been building up groups of people to visit, talk and deliver essentials to some of the poor souls on Scotland’s streets.

Now they have more than 100 people regularly helping out with the Yes2 No More Homeless campaign going out in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

“It’s full time now,” Harry says.

“The last time we were out in Glasgow, we had 16 volunteers. They’ve all got about four or five packs each, there’s a jacket, gloves, a hat, a scarf, tobacco and we carry big flasks of soup and sandwiches, and sleeping bags.

“We try to help people keep warm for a few days. And our volunteers will sit and talk to the homeless.“ He says the number of people volunteering to help has jumped in 2016. When asked why, he suggests it is because there’s been an increase in the number of people sleeping rough. People are starting to notice exactly how bad Scotland’s homelessness problem is.

“I think they’re more aware. Not just because they can see it, but because they can feel it. There’s that saying, ‘everyone’s just one paycheck away from being homeless’.

“Aberdeen is horrendous for the homeless this year. You’re actually tripping over them on the streets. And a lot of them actually had a house six or seven months ago. One boy we met had a big accident. He lost his job, and then he lost his flat, and now he’s out on the streets.”

It’s difficult to tell how many people are living on the streets in Scotland. Recent Scottish Government data says there were 34,662 homeless applications made in 2015-2016, but only a fraction of those will be from people sleeping rough. And that figure, though down substantially since 2010, when it was around 57,000, doesn’t tell the full story.

Homelessness charity Shelter says this is due to “the renewed preventative approach adopted by local authorities in the form of housing options, rather than a change in the underlying drivers of homelessness.”

Anecdotally, the streets seem busier. Last year, Glasgow Homeless Network suggested that 800 people were regularly sleeping on the streets.

“This is constant now,” Harry says. “It’s building and it’s building.

“There’s about four or five us going out on Christmas Day. We’ll be out handing out gifts.”

The group is on Facebook at Yes2. To help, get in touch through the site.