Thousands trapped in bed and breakfasts in Scottish homelessness crisis, says Salvation Army
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Thousands of people will be trapped in unsuitable accommodation
like bed and breakfasts unless the Scottish Government helps local
authorities clear the ‘bottleneck’, warns The Salvation Army. A new
report by the church and charity examined whether local authorities
were able to cope with rising levels of homelessness as a result of
the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that people are getting stuck in
places like bed and breakfasts because there is insufficient ‘move
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Thousands of people will be trapped in unsuitable accommodation like bed and breakfasts unless the Scottish Government helps local authorities clear the ‘bottleneck’, warns The Salvation Army. A new report by the church and charity examined whether local authorities were able to cope with rising levels of homelessness as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that people are getting stuck in places like bed and breakfasts because there is insufficient ‘move on’ accommodation available to resource ‘rapid rehousing’ plans. And as the impact of the pandemic causes more people to lose their homes, local authorities are facing huge temporary accommodation bills stretching their budgets to breaking point. Malcolm Page, Assistant Director of Homelessness Services for The Salvation Army, said: “Living in temporary accommodation like a B&B can start to eat away at your physical and mental health. Spending long periods without anywhere to cook, wash or properly relax makes it very difficult to hold a job down, keep in good physical health and start rebuilding your life. “These are places that are meant to be a short-term fix to prevent people from sleeping on the streets, not as long-term solutions. Bed and breakfast type accommodation is often provided without the essential support we believe is required to address the deep-rooted and often complex issues that result in people becoming homeless. “We welcome the work being done by the Scottish Government through its Ending Homelessness Together: High Level Action Plan and we recognise that it has invested in homelessness services over the years. However, we are not only making a moral argument, we are also making a dire financial prediction. Unless local authorities are able to invest in ‘move on’ accommodation through their rapid rehousing transition plans, there is just nowhere for people to go and the temporary accommodation bill will significantly increase.” The Salvation Army is one of the biggest providers of homelessness services in Scotland. Its report surveyed two thirds of Scotland’s local authorities and found:
Although The Salvation Army is concerned we are yet to see the full extent of the pandemic on homelessness levels, the report does set out some clear ways the Government can act to stem the crisis. In particular, the church and charity is calling for:
Malcom continued: “Through our frontline work, we are seeing the effects of the pandemic on people who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes, coming to our food banks and drop-ins. Without significant further funding in specialist housing-led provision and support services, we are concerned thousands more will become trapped in a cycle of homelessness and unsuitable accommodation.” ENDS Notes to Editors The report, Homelessness in Scotland, was produced by researchers commissioned by The Salvation to explore whether Scottish local authorities have enough money to meet the needs of their homelessness population. The research engaged with 63% (20/32) of all Scottish local authorities and eight third-sector providers of homelessness services. Key finds of the report:
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