​Families should not endure temporary housing for more than two weeks says MSP

No more than two weeks should be spent by homless people in temporary accommodation, an MSP has said.

Labour’s Anne McTaggart is pushing the Scottish Government to set a time limit for people living in temporary housing.

She said some had been waiting up to two years for permanent accommodation.

Shelter, the housing charity, published a report last year showing the average stay in temporary housing was eight weeks.

Typical stays in temporary accommodation are now more than seven months

And six in 10 homeless people had been put up in temporary accommodation at some point in the process.

McTaggart said: “Local authorities report significant increases in the length of time that is spent in temporary accommodation. Typical stays in temporary accommodation are now more than seven months, and for some people it can be up to two years.”

She asked the Scottish Government: “Will the cabinet secretary support a reduction in the length of time that homeless people have to spend in unsuitable temporary accommodation to 14 days?”

Margaret Burgess, housing minister, said there were already some time limits in place for people living in this kind of accommodation.

She said: “The provision of temporary accommodation is an important part of local authorities’ duties for homeless households in Scotland and provides a vital safety net for those that require it.

“The time that is spent in temporary accommodation should be as short as possible, while suitable and sustainable settled accommodation is found.”

She added: “We are continually reviewing the use of temporary accommodation for all homeless people.”