The scale of Scotland’s homelessness crisis has been described as “damning” after figures showed the equivalent of 38 children a day were left without somewhere permanent to live last year. Analysis by the charity Shelter Scotland revealed 14,075 children were in households assessed as being homeless in 2017-18 – the equivalent of six or seven pupils for every school.
On one day in March, 6,615 children were living in temporary accommodation – the fourth consecutive year in which the figure has risen, the charity said. It described the scale of child homelessness as “shocking”, and said not having a permanent place to live can have “drastic” effects on young people.
Alison Watson, deputy director of Shelter Scotland, said the “acute shortage of housing” lies at the heart of the problem. She said: “The sheer scale of homelessness among children in Scotland is damning on our society. “For the equivalent of a class and a half of schoolchildren to be made homeless every day just isn’t right. “The fact families with children then have to endure the limbo of temporary accommodation longer than other homeless households just compounds their misery. This has got to stop.”
Further analysis showed that 51 per cent of people who have experienced homelessness had no evidence of health conditions relating to drugs, alcohol or mental health – information the charity said could help dispel “the myth that homelessness is largely a substance abuse issue”.
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/damning-report-reveals-38-children-made-homeless-in-scotland-each-day-1-4775565
On one day in March, 6,615 children were living in temporary accommodation – the fourth consecutive year in which the figure has risen, the charity said. It described the scale of child homelessness as “shocking”, and said not having a permanent place to live can have “drastic” effects on young people.
Alison Watson, deputy director of Shelter Scotland, said the “acute shortage of housing” lies at the heart of the problem. She said: “The sheer scale of homelessness among children in Scotland is damning on our society. “For the equivalent of a class and a half of schoolchildren to be made homeless every day just isn’t right. “The fact families with children then have to endure the limbo of temporary accommodation longer than other homeless households just compounds their misery. This has got to stop.”
Further analysis showed that 51 per cent of people who have experienced homelessness had no evidence of health conditions relating to drugs, alcohol or mental health – information the charity said could help dispel “the myth that homelessness is largely a substance abuse issue”.
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/damning-report-reveals-38-children-made-homeless-in-scotland-each-day-1-4775565
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