Anger Over Rising Numbers Of Families In B&Bs

Charities and opposition parties last night described as unacceptable the latest homelessness snapshot which shows the number of vulnerable families with children or pregnant mothers being housed in B&Bs and other unsuitable accommodation has risen.

Nearly 30,000 applications were made to councils under homeless legislation in the six months to September last year, a fall of 2% on the same period in the previous year. But the figures also showed that the number of single people and families living in temporary housing at Hogmanay was 8626, a rise of 12% on the same date the previous year. Within this total, the number of households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation was just less than 3000, or 9% up on the previous year.

In 2001, councils were required to provide accommodation, help and advice to all applicants assessed as homeless, and the following year this was extended, requiring councils to provide temporary accommodation for those who in the past would only have been entitled to help and advice.

New legislation in 2003 aimed to ensure that, by 2012, everyone classed as “unintentionally homeless” would be entitled to permanent accommodation. In December 2004, a new rule came into force requiring councils to ensure families with children or pregnant women were not put in unsuitable temporary housing such as B&Bs unless there were “exceptional” circumstances.

By the end of December last year, this rule was being broken in 49 cases – up from 32 the previous year – or 2% of all households with children or pregnant women in unsuitable temporary accommodation at that point, according to official figures.

Archie Stoddart, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Thousands more households are living in temporary accommodation than at the last snapshot count. We cannot allow this to continue.” He added: “The figures for the number of families or pregnant women being housed in unsuitable accommodation was higher than at the same time last year – although it has dropped from the last quarter.

“The figures show that while less local authorities are breaching the Order that there are more breaches in total. If one council can stop these breaches, and many of them are, then they should all be able to.

“These statistics are about real people having to live in temporary accommodation. Whether they are living there in breach of the law or not, it is clearly not a permanent home, where they can feel safe, be secure, or bring up their children.”

The SNP’s Tricia Marwick said homelessness levels were still unacceptably high, claiming: “Even more worrying is the number of times that women and children are placed in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation.

“It is clear that some authorities are persistently breaching the order and the executive needs to take action now. Most people who are accepted as homeless just need a permanent home of their own and the lack of affordable housing is contributing to these high levels of homelessness.”

Tory communities spokesman Dave Petrie claimed there had been a 123% increase in the number of households in temporary accommodation since 1999. Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan said the policy of selling off council housing was behind the increasing use of temporary accommodation to house homeless people.

The Glasgow MSP said: “The truth is the Tory and Labour policy of selling off social housing and not replacing it is coming home to roost and the homeless are paying the price. Only a programme of new council housing can solve this growing crisis.”

Pat Watters, president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), said: “When people present themselves as homeless to councils, councils have an obligation to house them immediately. With the volume presenting as homeless, this takes time. Councils would always strive to find the most suitable accommodation. However, that said, we do not underestimate the problems faced by those in accommodation that perhaps isn’t all that it should be.”