Homeless people left in limbo, warns report

Homeless people are languishing in unsuitable temporary accommodation without basic facilities, a new report published by the charity Crisis in Scotland has said. The report says living in unsuitable temporary accommodation, such as B&BS, for long periods of time is destructive, demoralising and prevents people moving on from homelessness.

According to the report “A Life in Limbo”,says no homeless person should be housed in unsuitable accommodation except in emergencies and highlights problems caused by strict curfews, social isolation and being evicted with little notice.

Homeless people, who seek help from the charity, have reported being stranded in temporary accommodation for many months with some left there for as long as two years.

Many reported a lack of facilities such as a washing machine, private bathroom or a place to cook.

In October, the Scottish Government will restrict the legal time limit on unsuitable temporary accommodation from 14 to seven days for families and pregnant women. The charity is calling on the Minister for Local Government and Housing, Kevin Stewart MSP, for a change in the law to extend this right to all homeless people.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: “Scotland should be proud that we have some of the best homelessness legislation in the world, but we cannot become complacent. No one, no matter what their circumstance, should be forced to live without basic facilities for prolonged periods of time.

“The Life in Limbo campaign seeks to extend this vital legal protection, of a seven-day time-limit on placement in unsuitable temporary accommodation to all homeless people, otherwise we risk having a two-tier system which runs counter to Scotland’s unique right-based approach to protecting people from homelessness.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “As our Programme for Government made clear, tackling and preventing homelessness remains a key priority and our new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group will look directly at how we transform the use of temporary accommodation and end rough sleeping.”

She added: “We are backing our ambition with a £50m Ending Homelessness Together Fund to drive change and improvement in this area.”