Crisis UK has just issued its report on homelessness in collaboration with Heriot Watt University predicting that the number of rough sleepers, sofa surfers, or those who are living in unsuitable accommodation such as cars or tents, will rise by a third by 2026 unless steps are taken to stop it.
But the report also shows that with the correct policies and interventions the figures could be reduced. This includes increasing the level of Housing Benefit which could reduce numbers by more than a half.
In Scotland around 18,400 households were experiencing homelessness on any day in 2022 which was an increase of 11% since 2020.
The charity is encouraging the government to enable help for people earlier and increasing the legal duty on local authorities to prevent homelessness, leading to a call from councils for funding to ensure it can happen.
Dr Beth Watts-Cobbe, senior research fellow at Heriot-Watt’s Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research, said: “This year’s homelessness monitor paints the picture of a system under huge strain – with rising numbers of people presenting as homeless over the past two years, reports of growing footfall from local authorities and intense challenges accessing accommodation to resolve people’s homelessness.
“It is acutely concerning that, after a decade of stability prior to the pandemic and despite a strong focus on rapid rehousing approaches, temporary accommodation placements have increased sharply, including a greater reliance on B&B-type accommodation.
“But while many of the trends revealed in the Monitor are worrying, the report also shows that projected rises in core homelessness can be prevented through a comprehensive response from policy-makers.
“Homelessness has been a major area of policy focus for The Scottish Government since 2017 and with the right commitment Scotland can reverse these trends and reduce homelessness.”
Click on the image below to access the full report.
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