LEFT TO ROT IN STREET
Shelter charity say one household lose their home every 19 minutes Rising number of young Scots left destitute by cruel Tory austerity
YOUNG Scots betrayed by Tory austerity are becoming homeless in increasing numbers.
Charity Shelter told how half of those seeking help are aged 16 to 34.
INCREASING numbers of young Scots are falling into homelessness amid a housing crisis fuelled by crippling Tory welfare cuts.
Half those who feared losing their home or finding themselves on the streets are aged 16 to 34.
The figures show a higher proportion of young people bearing the brunt of our housing problem, according to research by homeless charity Shelter.
The crisis is reflected in a surge of applications to Shelter for help in the past year, when 21,000 Scots needed advice on keeping a roof over their heads.
Scotland’s renters also reported an alarming range of problems relating to housing costs, conditions and issues with landlords – resulting in 825,000 unique visits to Shelter’s online advice.
The charity’s deputy director Alison Watson said: “This report shows the disproportionate impact of Scotland’s housing crisis on young people and private renters, who are both over-represented in the number of people we helped.
“The terrible shortage of truly affordable homes, harsh welfare reforms, stagnant wages and the high cost of keeping a roof over their head are the main reasons driving people to ask for help.
“The statistics speak for themselves – on average, a household in Scotland becomes homeless every 19 minutes. Unknown numbers are sofa surfing with friends and family as they don’t have, or cannot afford, a home of their own. We were contacted by more than 1000 households who were already homeless. “Behind those statistics are people, families, individuals – people on low incomes, people with complex needs, people in crisis – some of the most vulnerable people in our society.” The study, on the year to April, found: ● Almost half of people needing help were private renters, despite the sector making up only 14 per cent of homes in Scotland. ● Young people aged between 16 and 34 also made up
almost half of those who sought advice. ● A similar percentage needed help keeping their home. ● Nearly a third of people who approached the charity wanted assistance to find a home. ● More than 1000 people who were already homeless asked for help.
In June, it emerged a homeless person dies in Edinburgh every three weeks.
Ten men and eight women died while sleeping rough between April 2015 and March 2016.
The statistics followed the revelation that 39 homeless people died in Glasgow in 10 months. In 2014, 1787 Scots slept rough the night before submitting a homelessness application. Research at the time suggested the number of rough sleepers could be more than double the government figures. The Glasgow Homelessness Network estimated, from their observations, that up to 800 people regularly sleep rough.
The analysis found most are men, who often have mental health problems and drug and alcohol dependencies.
Researchers found these issues were usually brought on by “traumatic childhood experiences”, such as abuse.
The crisis in Glasgow came despite the council taking responsibility for finding accommodation for homeless people since a law change in 2012.
Labour housing spokeswoman Pauline McNeill MSP called for the SNP to take housing seriously. She said: “This report shows that young people are bearing the brunt of the housing crisis, with many trapped in a vicious cycle. Thousands of young people can’t afford the deposit for a home and don’t have access to social housing so are forced to rent privately – but the rent is so high, many can never save enough.
“Labour have been putting pressure on the SNP Government for months to take the housing crisis seriously.
“That means building more homes with a national housebuilding strategy, creating jobs and cutting poverty levels – but also reforming the private rented sector.
“Ensuring everyone has access to a warm, safe home they can afford will have a huge effect on building a fairer Scotland.”
Scottish Lib Dem housing spokeswoman Caron Lindsay said: “There was a 16 per cent increase in the number of children in temporary accommodation in the last year. The SNP Government have failed these children.
“Downgrading the target for building social housing during the last Parliament means there are thousands fewer homes available for social rent than there should have been.”
SNP Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “We have delivered 60,000 affordable homes in our time in office, reintroduced council housing, ended right to buy, and are supporting people into home ownership. In addition, we are building at a rate faster than anywhere else in the UK and we have built 41,000 more homes than would have been built at England’s slower per-capita rate. That’s the equivalent of a new town the size of Paisley. “We are on track to deliver even more houses in this parliamentary term with our commitment to deliver at least 50,000 affordable homes – including 35,000 social homes, backed by more than £3billion investment.”