HOMELESS FIGURES FOR WEST LOTHIAN ‘SHOCKING’
Temporary accommodation soaring
A homeless crisis in West Lothian was laid bare in a national report which showed the local authority to have the highest increase of people living in temporary accommodation throughout the whole of Scotland.
The bi- annual report by the Scottish Government showed that between April and September 2016, there were 107 more households living in temporary accommodation than there were last year – the highest increase in the country.
Further figures revealed that West Lothian also had the highest number of children or pregnant woman living in “unsuitable accommodation” in the country, with 16 households falling into that category.
And, of the 12 households in Scotland found to be in breach of the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2014, ten were in West Lothian.
Alison Watson, deputy director for Shelter Scotland, described the figures as “deeply concerning”.
She said: “No child or pregnant woman should be placed in unsuitable temporary housing. To
Neil Findlay MSP
have 10 out of the 12 breaches of the temporary accommodation order in one area is deeply concerning.
“These statistics for West Lothian show that the council is struggling to cope with demand for temporary housing and vulnerable people are being let down.
“Families who lose their home need good quality accommodation and the right support to help them get their lives back on track.”
Fiona Hyslop, SNP MSP for Linlithgow, said she was shocked at the local authority’s figures.
She said: “The SNP committed to making all temporary accommodation the same standard as permanent accommodation in its 2016 manifesto.
“I am shocked that West Lothian Council’s performance is the worst in Scotland and I have written to the chief executive of West Lothian Council to ask how they will tackle this locally.”
Angela Constance, SNP MSP for Almond Valley, added: “While there are many reasons for families staying in temporary accommodation, West Lothian Council have advised of an unusual number of presentations from families.
“Work to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place must continue and the Scottish Government will continue to work with Local Government on this.”
Meanwhile Labour MSP Neil Findlay said that more must be done by the government to combat the ongoing housing crises.
He said: “Housing is consistently the most common issue that councillors and MSPs have to deal with.
“We need to build many more houses for rent and regulate the private rented sector. We cannot do this with another £327 million cut from Council budgets across Scotland by the Scottish Government.”
A spokesperson for West Lothian Council said that the report only provided a “snapshot” and that by December 2016 there were no families in unsuitable accommodation.
The West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “We have increased our temporary accommodation to help meet the true demand in West Lothian, which has enabled us to accommodate more households than before, so this figure has increased accordingly.
“We had a short- term increase in homeless applications from families in September 2016 at the time the snapshot for this report was taken.
“When the December 2016 snapshot was taken, we had no families in unsuitable accommodation. Families are given priority for temporary tenancies when they are available.”
We have to build many more houses for rent and regulate the private sector