17% rise in number of households in temporary accommodation

17% rise in number of households in temporary accommodation

The number of homeless households living in temporary accommodation in Scotland has jumped by 17% compared to the last quarter, figures show.

Some 13,152 households were living in short-term bed-and-breakfast housing across the country on the final day of June, compared with 11,211 at the end of March, figures from the Scottish Housing Regulator show.

This represents a 17.3% rise from the final quarter of 2020-21 and the first quarter of 2021-22.

Statistics also show that councils did not offer accommodation to households who needed it 85 times in the second quarter, compared to just 10 instances in the first.

Shelter Scotland called this a “breach of housing legislation”, adding that the figures overall were “shocking for the day we go ‘beyond zero’.”

Director Alison Watson said: “There has been a sharp increase in the number of homeless households stuck in temporary accommodation and a simultaneous rise in the number of times councils failed to offer accommodation to people in need.

“This suggests that some councils’ supply of accommodation is already over-stretched and yet we have at the same time seen the removal of the temporary ban on the enforcement of evictions.

“The Scottish Government must work urgently with councils to increase the amount of good quality temporary accommodation available to people while they wait for a permanent social home.

“It must also ensure that the ban on evictions is brought back in, as the system clearly cannot cope and an increase in homeless households will only overwhelm these lifeline services.”

During the pandemic, the Scottish Government introduced a ban on evictions – but this has now been lifted.

The Scottish Association of Landlords said in June that evicting tenants should be a “last resort”.

Published: by Radio NewsHub
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