Council to take radical action to meet its legal obligations to city's homeless

Council home lettings paused to tackle crisis in temporary accommodation

Cllr Lezley Marion Cameron, Housing Convener

Take a good-sized Lothian town. Let’s say Linlithgow, traditionally West Lothian’s county town, or Midlothian’s market town of Dalkeith. Proper towns, full of busy streets, people, schools, medical facilities, and shopping centres.

Then just imagine that every single person living in either of these significant communities is homeless. And that many of them have been placed, by a hard-pressed council, into unsuitable accommodation that breaches the local authority’s legal obligations.

In addition, hundreds of those presenting as homeless are not being offered any accommodation at all.

Unimaginable in the 21st century? It may be, but - in reality - that is pretty much the scale of the problem which faces Edinburgh right now. Some 18 months after the city declared a Housing Emergency, the reality is that the situation has worsened, despite a lot of discussion and no little effort.

Scale of city’s biggest issue

At the end of last month, the total number of households assessed as homeless in Edinburgh was 7,866. This figure represents 14,219 individuals (similar to the populations of either of the towns mentioned) and including 3,980 children and 2,820 young people (aged 16-25).

These numbers clearly illustrate the sheer scale of the biggest issue the city faces, and the increasing need for additional resources from Government to help tackle homelessness given the projected increase in Edinburgh’s growing, ageing population with a commensurate pressure on housing. Most of Scotland’s population growth will happen here, in the Capital and its environs.

The situation is so severe that tomorrow city councillors at a special meeting of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee are expected to pause the letting of council homes for the second time to all but those who are homeless, in temporary accommodation which is not suitable, or to those who are awaiting discharge from hospital or who have the very highest level of priority.