MORE than 4,300 Scottish children are homeless and living in temporary accommodation, according to “deeply concerning” new figures.
The Scottish Government revealed that 4,333 children are homeless, an increase of 199 compared with last year.
Shelter Scotland said its own research showed that, on average, families and individuals spend 18 weeks in temporary accommodation.
But household with children are likely to spend longer waiting for a permanent home than that.
Shelter said a quarter of households spend six months or longer in temporary accommodation.
Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “The increase in the number of households in temporary accommodation is deeply concerning, particularly as they include 4,333 homeless children.
“To compound their hardship, we know that too many families and individuals are spending extended periods, six month or even longer, in a home they can’t call their own.
“Thousands of people across Scotland are struggling to get out of temporary accommodation and into a home of their own. At the heart of this is a chronic housing crisis with a lack of affordable accommodation across Scotland.
“We need to see at least 10,000 new socially rented homes a year to bring hope to homeless households and the 150,500 people currently on local authority housing waiting lists.”
