THE Scottish Government has released their homelessness statistics for 2024, showing an increase in households not being offered temporary accommodation.
The stats, which cover April to September 2024, also show that there has been an increase of 4% in the number of households assessed as or threatened with homelessness from the same period in 2023.
This comes as housing charity Shelter Scotland pushes against the City of Edinburgh Council for their decision to use unlicensed HMO properties as temporary accommodation for homeless households.
The council issued 12 emergency licenses to B&Bs in Edinburgh in December, with fears that proper checks had not been carried out and health and safety precautions flouted.
Despite there being an increase of households in temporary accommodation – the highest for the time of year since 2002 – there were 7,545 instances of households not being offered any, an increase from only 2,000 in 2023.
The government states that most of these cases occurred in Glasgow, with 6,320 households in the city going without temporary accommodation.
A freedom of information request submitted by letting agent Capital Letters states that there has been a 219.36% increase in people being placed in temporary accommodation in Edinburgh between 2019 and 2024.
In November last year, changes in licensing sparked the City of Edinburgh council to move 700 homeless people out of unlicensed HMO properties into buildings elsewhere, some outside of the Scottish capital.
The council requires HMOs for temporary accommodation, which means that they must adhere to safety regulations and provide sufficient space and amenities, which many unlicensed buildings did not.
Speaking at the time, a council spokesperson said: “Everyone who needs temporary accommodation has been offered a place to stay either in the city or outside Edinburgh.”
There have been huge increases in households reporting a member to have been rough sleeping the night before an application for assistance, with the number growing by 32% compared to the same period in 2023.
Edinburgh City Council offers homelessness assistance by way of advice and funding, as well as access to charities who provide support.
Although there has been a slight increase in the number of applications for homelessness assistance since 2023, the number of children associated with homeless households has decreased by the same amount.
As well as this, there was a 5% increase in the number of homeless cases closed compared to the same period the year before
