Homelessness is spiralling out of control
Edinburgh has more children living in temporary accommodation than all of Wales.
The shock statistic was made by Shelter Scotland who say there were some 3,500 homeless children in the city last year.
In November Wales had a record 2,823 children in temporary accommodation.
This comes as the latest homelessness statistics show a record breaking 10,360 children are living in temporary accommodation in Scotland as of 30 September 2024.
Alison Watson, Shelter Scotland director, said: “It is the harrowing reality that 3,600 children in Edinburgh are waking up homeless.
“The situation in Wales is also stark with the latest statistics revealing 2,823 children without a permanent home. However, this represents a slightly improving picture in Wales, while here in Scotland things continue to spiral out of control.
“The Scottish Government is always keen to highlight comparisons with the rest of the UK when it suits them – but the fact that significantly more children in our capital city are waking up homeless than in the entirety of Wales, which is in the grip of its own housing emergency, is scandalous.”
She continued: “This is the direct consequence of the Scottish Government and local authorities failing to prioritise housing and the desperate need for more social homes.
“The Scottish Government must do more to target resources where they are most needed if they’re to meet their own ambition of eradicating child poverty.”
Temporary accommodation is supposed to be used by councils as a last resort when a family declares themselves homeless. But a chronic lack of affordable housing - and the massively inflated cost of private rentals - has created a crisis point in many areas.
The data shows the number housed in B&Bs has increased by more than two-fifths, with 2,680 homeless households in B&Bs in September last year – a rise of 41% from 2023.
More than a dozen local authorities across Scotland have declared housing emergencies in the last 18 months due to a severe lack of affordable housing in their areas. The issue is particularly severe in and around the largest cities.
