‘Covid-19 will continue to impact homelessness’

● Charity warns of ‘longer-term’ issue as need for services rises

Acharity has warned the impact of Covid-19 on homelessness will be felt “for some time” yet amid an apparent rise in demand for help.

Aberdeen City Council received 164 applications for homelessness support in June – the largest monthly figure for more than a year.

And while it is not known how many could be attributed to the pandemic, issues including relationship breakdowns and housing disputes are likely to have contributed.

The Aberdeen Citizens Advice Bureau (Cab) has been offering advice by telephone and email on a wide range of subjects.

Manager Kristi Kelly said: “We have seen relationship breakdowns, both with couples and parents with adult children.

“Someone says they need their own space and asks them to move out.

“There have also been more cases of domestic violence in the last three months, compared to the same time last year, which is a real shame.

“Some landlords have decided they want to move back into a property or sell it, and that means a family has to find somewhere else to live – which has been difficult during lockdown.”

When people contact Aberdeen Cab about homelessness, advisers can direct them to further support and offer assistance to ensure they know their rights.

In March homelessness charity Aberdeen Cyrenians launched its AC2U service to deliver food, toiletries, baby items and clothing to those in hardship.

Mike Burns, its chief executive, said it was therefore “not surprising” that the organisation has seen rising demand.

“Many things impact homelessness, and with so much uncertainty and change with Brexit, the fluctuating oil and gas price and now coronavirus, there is a lot of upheaval in the north-east,” he said.

“We have seen a rise in the number of people accessing our services since Covid-19 hit but, as we set up a dedicated emergency response service designed to support vulnerable people during this time, that’s not unsurprising.

“We believe the full impact of coronavirus will continue to be felt for some time and are prepared to help an increasing number of people in crisis should the need arise.”

But Mr Burns said the recent month-on-month rise in homelessness applications may not be a long-term trend as numbers constantly fluctuate.

There were 105 applications in February – prior to lockdown – rising gradually to 164 in June. In this period there were 629 applications to the city council – three more than the same period in 2019.

But when comparing April to June 2020 with last year, there was a 14% rise.

But year-on-year numbers have fallen overall.

Mr Burns said: “The number of cases of homelessness tends to vary and peak at particular times of the year, and while these latest figures are compelling, it’s too early to say whether this is indicative of a longer term trend.”

Councils elsewhere have seen less of a fluctuation.

In March, when lockdown began, there were 41 applications in Moray. This dropped to 25 in April, but rose to 29 then 33 in the following months.

The trend was similar in Aberdeenshire, where cases fell from 98 in March to 62 in April, then appearing to level off at 73 and 74 for May and June. Both councils’ figures for the last three months were lower than at any point in the last year.

Numbers were consistent in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, while Highland Council was unable to provide statistics.

A city council spokesman said: “Although during the first quarter of 2020-21 applications have increased by 14% when compared with the same period last year, the overall trend is that homelessness has been falling in the city in recent years where a 5% reduction was recorded in 2018-19 and a 9% in 2019-20.

“It would be misleading to attribute the first quarter increase this year solely to the Covid-19 pandemic, given that all the applications received between February and June 2020 totalled 629, which is only three more than the 626 recorded during the same period in 2019.

“We will continue to do all we can in fulfilling our statutory duties in helping homeless and vulnerable people.”

RELIEF: Aberdeen City Council saw a 14% rise in homelessness applications between April and June – but the picture is different elsewhere