COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, Cllr Maureen Chalmers, responded to the Scottish Government’s Homelessness Figures. She said: “Today’s published homelessness figures are disappointing and underline the scale of the housing challenges facing local communities across the country.
“While there are some slight improvements in some measures, too many individuals and families continue to experience homelessness.
“Councils are working tirelessly to prevent homelessness and support those in need, but housing demand continues to outstrip supply in many areas.
“Tackling this challenge requires sustained investment in affordable housing, a strong focus on prevention, and close partnership working across national and local government.
“Everyone deserves access to a safe, secure and affordable home, and councils remains committed to working with partners to make that ambition a reality.”
The number of children waking up without a home in Scotland has reached another record high and more than doubling in the last 10 years, new Scottish Government statistics show.
10,715 children are currently trapped in temporary accommodation, compared to 5,223 in 2015. People are waiting in temporary accommodation for years for a home and more people are sleeping rough. Instances of local authority homelessness services unlawfully breaching people’s housing rights have also significantly increased, up 32% to 21,800 since last year.
The figures show the sheer scale of Scotland’s broken housing system – the result of decades of underinvestment and the failure to build enough social homes, says Shelter Scotland.
The leading housing and homelessness charity says that the situation can be turned around, but only if building more social homes becomes a national mission supported by an exceptional level of funding. Areas that need it most like Glasgow must receive national investment from Scottish and UK Governments.
This new data comes after the First Minister promised to end the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation for children in the recent Programme for Government. The test now is whether real change will be felt by the thousands of families and children without a home.
Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, Interim Director at Shelter Scotland said: “Scotland’s housing emergency has been decades in the making. Children are growing up in harmful conditions and families don’t know how long they will be stuck in limbo.
“Local authorities are under extreme pressure and are unlawfully turning people away who have a right to housing. That pressure is resulting in housing being weaponised with calls to roll back rights. It is utterly unacceptable.
“We know why it has happened- because we have failed to build enough social homes. The First Minister’s recent pledge to stop children being placed in harmful temporary accommodation is very welcome, showing he has listened to the demands of families. But we won’t celebrate just yet – promises mean nothing without action.
“The situation in Glasgow needs a national response. It needs investment from the Scottish and UK Governments until the asylum backlog declines and we must see the delivery of homes quicker to lift people – especially children – out of temporary accommodation.
“The good news is we know how to end the housing emergency and so do the Government. We need committed investment to deliver the social homes desperately and urgently needed. If the Government focuses More Homes Scotland on social housing, there’s a massive opportunity to change the trajectory.
“Families can’t wait any longer. It’s time to turn the tide and follow through with action, so we don’t allow more children to face the same fate for the next decade.”
Janet Haugh, CEO of Right There, said: “These figures should shock us all. More than 10,700 children are now growing up in temporary accommodation across Scotland, while rough sleeping continues to rise.
“Scotland cannot keep describing this as a housing emergency without responding like it is one.
“We need action, not platitudes. Prevention, affordable housing and early support must move from ambition to action.”
