Campaigners call for urgent action
Scottish Government ministers must act urgently to address rising homeless as new figures show a record high for those living in temporary accommodation.
Campaigners have hit out at the Scottish Government saying the figures, which show a 4% rise in homelessness, are unacceptable.
As of March this year, 16,300 families are deemed homeless – the highest since Scottish Government records began in 2002.
There was also a record number of children in homeless accommodation, with more than 10,000 youngsters waiting for a permanent home.
Charities including Shelter Scotland, Citizens Advice Scotland and Cyrenians have called for urgent action with housing minister Paul McLennan describing the latest figures as "deeply concerning".
He said: "I know the lack of a settled home seriously affects people’s health and life chances.
"They demonstrate the scale of the challenge we face in tackling the housing emergency and I am determined to work with partners to reverse this trend."
Shelter Scotland said the figures show children are paying the biggest price for politicians’ continued failure to get a grip of the housing emergency, adding that it was clear the Scottish Government’s Housing to 2040 and Ending Homelessness Together strategies were unable to deliver the necessary change.
The charity called on the first minister to prove he was serious about his ambition to end child poverty in Scotland by reversing “brutal housing cuts” when his government publishes its budget in December.
Shelter Scotland director, Alison Watson, said: “These figures show clearly that it is children in Scotland that are paying the highest price for politician’s failure to get a grip on the housing emergency; they should be a source of great national shame.
“Once again Scotland has broken unwelcome records, and the sad fact is that’s becoming the norm whenever these statistics are published. It’s hard to escape the conclusion that we’re seeing homelessness by design; politicians know what needs to be done but have consistently failed to deliver.
“Today is a grim reminder of the reality of Scotland’s housing emergency; more and more children losing their homes every day, getting stuck in the homelessness system, trapped in miserable temporary accommodation for ever increasing lengths of time.
“Every level of government has played a part in allowing the housing emergency to get to this disgraceful point, so politicians at every level of government have a more duty to act.
“Our first minister tells us often that ending child poverty is his guiding mission. There is no way for him to succeed in that mission while more and more children in Scotland become homeless.
“The upcoming budget is a chance for him to show that his ambitions are more than just words. There are thousands of kids being robbed of their childhood in Scotland and they shouldn’t have to hear any more excuses.”
Meanwhile Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) called for a more collaborative approach by the Scottish Government.
Aoife Deery, CAS senior policy officer, said many local councils are struggling and need better assistance, while the social housebuilding budget needs to be put back on track.
She added: “Action is needed urgently if we’re going to see improvements in Scotland’s housing sector. We know that far too many people are experiencing real harm right now.
“The changes needed to properly tackle the housing emergency need increased collaboration between local authorities and the Scottish Government, backed up by significant multi-year funding.
“In a just and compassionate Scotland, everyone should have a safe, secure and affordable home.”
In Edinburgh, one of the many local authorities to declare a housing emergency, 3,817 households spent time in temporary accommodation with Cyrenians saying this number could cost the local authority and other agencies as much as £88.8 million.
Ewan Aitken, chief executive of Cyrenians, said: “The evidence is stark, and tells us what we have known at Cyrenians for a long time - we cannot simply build our way out of the housing crisis.
Temporary accommodation is unsuitable and costly – for the people living in it and for the council. We know, from several decades running services for people at risk that homelessness, that homelessness is not inevitable.
“It can be predicted and that means it can be prevented. Whilst there is a desperate need for more social housing, we must tackle the reasons why people become homeless in the first place.
The right support at the right time, can keep people in their homes – which is a far better outcome than being forced to present as homeless. Behind the statistics published today are thousands of real people desperately relying on a system of support which is pushed to its limits.
“We need the Scottish Government to heavily invest in prevention services like ours – and Edinburgh Council’s Early Intervention Team – if we are going to tackle this problem.”
However Housing minister Paul McLennan said the government’s forthcoming Housing Bill would “help keep people in their homes”.
He said: “The Scottish government is clear that everyone should live in an affordable and high quality home that meets their needs.
“Since 2007, we have supported the delivery of more than 131,000 affordable homes, with more than 93,000 of those being for social rent.
“We will continue to build on that record with almost £600 million of investment in the Affordable Housing Supply programme this year and we remain focused on supporting the delivery of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.
“The Housing Bill introduces a range of measures, including rent controls and homelessness prevention duties, to help keep people in their homes.
“We will continue to work with tenants, landlords and investors as the Bill progresses through Parliament.”
