Number of homeless in B&Bs rises by 99%
Charity calls for urgent action on housing
THE number of people in Scotland housed in temporary accommodation rose by more than a quarter during the pandemic, figures reveal.
Scottish Government statistics showed that on September 30 last year, there were 14,151 households in temporary accommodation – a 24 per cent increase on the same date in 2019.
But the number housed in bed and breakfasts almost doubled – rising by 99 per cent from 710 in to 1414.
Campaigners at the charity Crisis said the rise in the use of temporary accommodation meant some would have to struggle without access to proper cooking and laundry facilities.
Local authorities across Scotland moved rough sleepers off the streets at the start of the Covid pandemic last year.
Crisis CEO Jon Sparkes said: “At the start of the pandemic, our priority was supporting people off the streets and ensuring they had safe, self-contained accommodation.
“There is no doubt that extraordinary action by national and local government, as well as homelessness services, saved lives from coronavirus and the cold – but these interventions are short-term solutions.” He added: “We’ve seen huge progress in ending rough sleeping in Scotland. This has led to record numbers of people living in temporary accommodation, with many being left without access to proper laundry or cooking facilities.
“We now need to see action to ensure these people are supported quickly into safe and settled homes.”
Figures showed a decrease in the number of people seeking help for homelessness. Between April and September 2020, a total of 16,997 homeless applications were received – 10 per cent less than the same period in 2019.
There were 13,645 households assessed as being homeless over the same period, a drop of 14 per cent over the year.
Some councils saw a fall in numbers coming forward for help as “households were reluctant to approach homelessness services while Covid-19 guidelines advised households to remain at home, meaning households whose housing needs were less urgent opted to remain in their current accommodation”.
In addition, a reduction in evictions – due to emergency legislation temporarily extending eviction notice periods – had also helped reduce the number of people needing assistance.
Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “This is the first set of official homelessness statistics for which coronavirus restrictions were in place for the full reporting period. Housing people without a settled home in temporary accommodation was a public health imperative to keep people safe.
“Temporary accommodation can offer an important safety net but it should be a short-term measure.
“We are providing £30million to local authorities and working hard to move people into settled homes.”
Stewart added the Scottish Government remains “committed to ending rough sleeping and homelessness”. He said an action plan had been produced which “lays out how we will get there”.
Our safety net should be a short-term measure KEVIN STEWART ON HOMES EMERGENCY