Homeless to leave Tripadvisor type ratings
Homeless families will be able to rate the quality of their temporaryaccommodationin Edinburgh under a new system intended to drastically improve facilities.
The city council has pledged extra funding to upgrade bedand-breakfast (B&B) accommodation used to house homeless people.
Figures have revealed 650 households are forced to stay in the temporary accommodation every night in the Scottish capital.
The council administration is pushing ahead with plans to “eradicate” the housing of families in temporary B&BS.
But with housing stock depleted, the authority wants to improve facilities so familiescanwashtheirownclothes and use kitchens to prepare their own food when alternative accommodation cannot be found in the short term.
Developing a system for users to rate their accommodation is being looked at as part of the drive.
Convener of the council’s housing and economy committee, Cllr Kate Campbell, said: “It’s almost a Tripadvisor-type thing for the B&BS. “It will hopefully improve the quality and make people fell a bit more empowered and give them a confidential way of reporting issues.” Demand for homes outstrips supply in Edinburgh and has contributed to the crisis. There is a need for up to 46,000 new homes in the city over the next ten years. The council had initially pledged to end the use of B&BS for homeless families as well as 16 and 17-year-olds by the summer. They will now instead look at “a range of potential options to secure alternative accommodation options for 16/17 year olds”.
Around half of 16 and 17-yearolds who present as homeless are placed initially in temporary accommodation. Cllr Campbell added: “The ambitious aim was to end the use of B&BS, but the issue we have is there’s a lack of affordable housing. “Ultimately the way to tackle this is to get more affordable housing in Edinburgh.
“I still don’t think we should have people in B&BS.
“As we cannot change that at the moment, this seemed like a valuable way to spend some of that money.” Cllr Campbell said improving the quality of the accommodation was the aim in the shortterm. She said: “It’s consistently something that comes up. It’s a real issue for people if they’re in B&BS.
“You don’t have access to a kitchen, food storage or washing machine, meaning you’re not able to feed
0 Homeless families will be able to rate temporary accommodation yourself properly and keep your clothes clean. “We are spending some money on increasing that. B&BS will have storage for food and washing machines.
“From the extra £2 million from the budget for homelessness, that’s one of the things we are spending money on.” The authority has agreed to provide £872,000 for a private sector leasing scheme, operated by Link Housing, to provide a “more attractive option for existing and new landlords to increase the stock of suitable interim accommodation for homeless households”. The council needs to find 130 extra properties to move all families out of B&BS. Under the proposals, council workers will also be trained so they can offer better support to rough sleepers, while the authority’s housing allocations policy will be reviewed.