Edinburgh’s homeless housed 150 miles away
Homeless people in Edinburgh seeking emergency accommodation are being sent more than 150 miles away.
People are being sent to hotels and other temporary accommodation as far away as Inverness, more than 150 miles from Edinburgh. Sources told of reports from people who have gone to the council for housing help being unable to get access to accommodation in the city, including families with children.
It follows warnings from housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland that Scotland’s local authorities are running out of options. The charity has said that the situation is the worst it has ever seen.
Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said the situation is a “reality check” and warned people are becoming stuck in the system with “no light at the end of the tunnel”.
It comes as figures published by the city council showed the number assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness rose by almost a quarter in the 12 months to April.