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OVER 8,000 children will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation this year, says Shelter Scotland.
The charity has published key figures throughout the years as they continue to combat the homelessness problem that our country faces.
The 8,635 children in temporary accommodation is the highest number ever recorded, according to the charity’s March 2022 figures. Temporary accommodation is used while the local authority makes a decision on the homelessness application of the person in question.
Over the course of the year 2021/22, the charity say that 35,230 applications were made to local authorities and 28,882 of these households were assessed as being homeless or threatened with homelessness.
Due to such a high demand, the Government seems to be struggling. In light of this, in 2021/22 there were over 2,000 reported cases in which households were placed in temporary accommodation which, deemed by law, was ‘unsuitable’.
Shelter Scotland said in a statement: “This is unacceptable. People should be able to realise their rights to temporary accommodation.
“This means that accommodation is made available when required, that it meets the needs of the household and that it is of sufficiently good quality.”
They added: “Local authorities must, at a bare minimum, deliver their statutory duties regarding temporary accommodation and be held to account for any breaches.”
In 2021/22, homeless couples with children in Scotland spent on average 343 days in temporary accommodation, whereas the average length of stay for all household types was 207 days.
- To donate to Shelter Scotland: https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/donate
- For any help or housing problems you may have, reach out to Shelter Scotland through their website: https://scotland.shelter.org.uk
