Homelessness shot up during lockdown
The number of households in Ayrshire who are assessed as homeless, or at risk, has shot up by 15.4 per cent, The Post can reveal.
Latest Scottish Government figures for 2019/ 20 show that 2363 households were assessed as homeless, or “threatened” with homelessness.
South Ayrshire figures show that 721 households were judged as homeless, up on the 2018/ 19 figure of 636.
North Ayrshire saw their figure rise to 926 in 2019/ 20, with the previous year’s figure being 788.
In East Ayrshire, figures show 716 households at risk, up from the 2018/ 19 figure of 623.
In North, South and East Ayrshire, the combined totals for 2018/ 19 stood at 2047.
This year’s figure is up 316, or 15.4 per cent.
The figures paint a worrying picture across the region as households struggle with their finances and other issues in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent UK lockdown.
With redundancies, furloughed staff and reduced income, it’s left households struggling to maintain their rent, or mortgage payments, leaving them at serious risk of losing their home. Topping the Scotland list were Glasgow on 5262, with Edinburgh following closely behind on 3355.
Around the country 31,333 households were assessed as homeless in Scotland between April 2019– March 2020, a 4 per cent rise from the same period in the previous year.
A South Ayrshire Council spokesman said they are committed to ensuring homelessness is prevented where possible and suitable accommodation, advice and support are available where it cannot be avoided.
“Our Housing Options team is on hand to help people who are threatened with homelessness, and housing advice and support is available for people struggling to maintain their accommodation,” he added.
“In 2019/ 20 there was a 4.55% increase from the previous year in the number of households we assessed as homeless or potentially homeless, this is broadly in line with the 4% increase seen across Scotland.”
Blair Millar, Housing Services Manager at East Ayrshire Council said: “We are fully aware of these statistics, which we monitor constantly to ensure that the prevention and alleviation of homelessness remains a key priority across all services.
“While the reporting of data is important, our focus is on the human centred aspect of homelessness. We make sure everyone who experiences homelessness receives person centred support to enable them to go on and live happy lives in warm, safe and secure affordable housing.”