Shelter Scotland see 25% rise in housing helpline calls

Calls to a housing and homelessness helpline have soared in the last six months as people struggle with the cost of living, according to the charity which runs it.

Shelter Scotland said 2,111 people contacted its Glasgow-based advice line in October, a 25% increase on the 1,682 who did so in April.

Overall, the housing charity’s free 0808 800 4444 helpline has taken more than 22,000 calls in Scotland in the last 12 months and they expect at least 1,000 people to call for help in December.

The charity revealed the figures as it called for more support to keep the helpline going.

Shelter Scotland said it has joined forces once again with Marks & Spencer to help raise funds.

The retailer has agreed to donate 5p to the charity’s helpline from every product sold from its Christmas Food On The Move range.

A similar campaign last year helped raise £2 million for Shelter last year, with £8,000 going to the Scottish helpline.

Shelter Scotland director Graeme Brown said: “There will be many families and individuals struggling to keep a roof over their heads this Christmas. Our helpline is vital for these people, but to keep it going we need more support.

“Shelter Scotland receives no funding to run the busy helpline. Support from partners such as Marks & Spencer is incredibly important to us to ensure we can continue helping families and individuals at a time, when they need it the most.”

Mike Barry, of Marks & Spencer, said: “We are extremely proud to be working in partnership with Shelter Scotland for the eighth year this Christmas to help homeless families across the country at such an important time of the year.”