£4M PLAN TO TACKLE HOMELESS YOUTH CRISIS

Council offers support with plan for new housing unit

West Lothian Council has agreed a £ 4million plan to help tackle the growing crisis of homelessness among young people.

The council’s executive agreed to develop a new 12-person supported housing unit in Deans, Livingston, to replace existing facilities in Newlands House, Bathgate.

The Bathgate facility is not large enough to meet growing demand or new regulations the council will have to address in providing temporary accommodation by 2021.

West Lothian has the third highest rate of youth homelessness in Scotland, and has a history of significant numbers of

homeless presentations by young people. The percentage of applicants from the 16-25 age group is much higher than the national average.

New rules will mean any homeless people cannot be in B&Bs for any longer than seven days. At the moment this only applies to families and pregnant women.

Ann Marie Carr, head of housing, told the year- end meeting of the executive that additional funding may also become available through the Scottish Government to build 12 to 16 mainstream flats for young people at the new Deans site.

In her report Mrs Carr said: “This could provide housing for young people who require less intensive support but are still able to access the services that the new unit would provide. The proposal would be to support more young people through their housing journey than can be undertaken at Newlands.”

The new temporary accommodation centre will include 12 self -contained flats.

Mrs Carr added that, given the high demand, officers decided the best option for Newlands House would be to convert the building into four self-contained flats.

…housing for people who require less intensive support