Nearly four people living rough or in temporary accommodation die every week in Scotland
Hundreds of homeless people die in Scotland every year, new figures have shown.
A total of 195 homeless people are estimated to have died in 2018 in Scotland – nearly four a week – up 19% from the estimate of 164 in 2017.
The country has a proportionally higher number of homeless deaths than England and Wales combined, with 35.9 deaths per million of the population in Scotland.
This compares to 16.8 deaths per million in England and 14.5 per million in Wales.
The new figures have been prepared by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) in response to demand for the public and have been described as experimental. They include people who were sleeping rough, and those in temporary accommodation at the time of their death.
Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “The reasons that lead to homelessness are often very complex, and many people who died while experiencing homelessness will have struggled with complex life challenges including addiction, poor mental health, and family breakdown.
“These challenges are often driven by a history of poverty, childhood adversity and trauma, including deteriorating physical and mental health, poor housing, contact with the criminal justice system, and other issues.”
Stewart added that one death is too many, and that the findings will help the Scottish Government to continue its work to eradicate homelessness.
Grant Campbell, director of Crisis Scotland, described the figures as devastating. He said: “For the first time, we can see the true, devastating scale of the number of people who have died without a place to call home, because of failings within the very system which should have prevented them from falling into poverty and homelessness in the first place. Behind these figures are human beings - mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters.
“Every death must be fully investigated so that we can learn from the failings which caused someone to die without a home. We’re pleased to see commitments from Scottish Government towards ending homelessness, such as the push towards providing long-term homes and wrap around support for those with complex needs, as well as doing more to help people from losing their homes in the first place. Despite this, we still have the highest rates of homeless deaths in Great Britain. This is a damning and urgent reminder that we need to do so much more to support some of our most vulnerable citizens.”
Paul Lowe, the Registrar General for Scotland, said: “NRS has developed a method of estimating the incidence of homeless deaths in response to user demand.
“It is important to stress that these are experimental statistics and we will continue to work with users and stakeholders to assess their suitability and quality.”
