Homelessness Rates Not Clear

Shelter Scotland says, despite a 34% reduction in homeless applications over the last five years, statistics don't present the full picture.

In October, there were 549 households living in temporary accommodation in Fife, including 289 children.

Shelter Scotland will call on homeless people to be treated as human beings and not statistics at its annual conference in Glasgow today.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said:
 
"While it is encouraging that, in Scotland, homeless applications have decreased steadily over the last five years, let's not forget there were still 36,457 households who went through the trauma of homelessness last year.  Of those, around 22,000 spent time in temporary accommodation, with an average stay of 18 weeks.
 
"We know that major changes to legislation like the 2012 Commitment on Homelessness and the housing options approach from local authorities is making a difference, but our analysis shows that homelessness in Scotland is changing.  We think it is vital that everyone concerned with homelessness prevention and those who shape and deliver support services better understand what those changes are.
 
"The Shelter Scotland conference will look towards long-term, innovative solutions to homelessness and its prevention and what the housing safety net should look like and how it should work for everyone who may need it."
 
Graeme Brown continued:
 
"The main cause of thousands of homeless people having to spend 18 weeks on average in temporary accommodation is the major shortage of homes for social rent across Scotland.  We need to build at least 10,000 new homes for social rent each year for the foreseeable future if we are going to start tackling our housing crisis."
 
Julia Unwin, Chief Executive of JRF said:

"Scotland stands out for the way its safety net has restrained homelessness during this recession. However, there are signs that a lack of security in the private rented sector is beginning to play a role in rising homelessness here, just as it has south of the border for several years. If Scotland is going to continue to buck this trend, all concerned with housing need must act now to ensure that people on the lowest incomes have access to secure, affordable housing."