Crying out for
A South Lanarkshire household was made homeless every five hours last year according to shocking statistics in a government report.
The official figures revealed that South Lanarkshire Council received 1989 applications for homelessness assistance between April 2017 and March 2018.
That is a one per cent drop from the previous year, when 2009 homeless applications were made.
Shelter Scotland director Graeme Brown branded the statistics in the national report as “shocking” and said they should “start alarm bells ringing in Holyrood that homelessness in Scotland is getting worse, not better”.
He said: “This is clear evidence that the good progress we have seen in recent years is now being reversed and bad housing and homelessness is blighting the lives of even more people in Scotland – robbing them of their health, security and a fair chance in life.
“We welcome the focus on homelessness in the last year from the Scottish Government.
“But it is now time for urgent action from all areas of local and national government to work together better to tackle and prevent homelessness in Scotland.
“We need urgent action and resources now to start making a difference to all those facing or suffering homelessness.”
The overall number of families assessed as homeless across South Lanarkshire during the last year was 1649 – a two per cent rise from the figure of 1621 in 2016/17.
And the number of households in temporary accommodation across South Lanarkshire on March 31 this year was 615 – a five per cent drop from the figure of 650 on the same day in 2017.
On March 31 this year, the number of children living in temporary accommodation across South Lanarkshire was 510 – a two per cent drop from the figure of 520 from 2017
South Lanarkshire Council manage a range of temporary accommodation comprising over 700 units which includes first-stop, supported accommodation and over 500 self-contained properties.
This includes a mix of the council’s own housing stock and properties leased from either housing association partners or the private sector.
All properties used as temporary accommodation – whether leased or owned – are managed by local housing teams and tenants would therefore deal directly with housing services in relation to their tenancy.
South Lanarkshire Council have developed a temporary accommodation plan which takes account of local area demand and pressures. Hotel accommodation is not part of their planned approach to provision of temporary accommodation, although it is utilised in very limited/emergency situations on a very short term basis.
Given that there is a high demand for council housing in general, the use of leased accommodation allows an element of flexibility to expand/contract the available temporary accommodation to meet demand. The average length of stay in temporary accommodation during 2017/18 was 254 days, very similar to the previous 251 days in 2016/17 and 252 days in 2015/16.
These figures represent the average though, and some tenants in temporary accommodation move on very quickly.
The length of time can depend on the individual’s housing preferences. For example, housing in a higher demand area with limited turnover may be required due to a local support network, therefore the timescale to secure an offer of housing will take longer than an area with greater turnover of housing stock.
It is important however to ensure that the tenant has the correct package of housing and support to achieve sustainable outcomes.
South Lanarkshire Council say that lengthy periods in temporary accommodation are generally experienced due to the complex needs of tenants.
The council work closely with households to identity support needs and to develop tailored housing and support packages to allow them to sustain tenancies long term.
Daniel Lowe, the council’s executive director of Housing and Technical Resources, said: “The report published by the Scottish Government on June 19, 2018, confirms the continuing high levels of homelessness across