Glasgow's homeless figures 'alarming' as 929 people claim to have slept rough on city streets

Record numbers of people are sleeping on Glasgow's streets as numbers rise 28 per cent in just six weeks.

The figures, described as 'horrific' by campaigners, come as sub-zero temperatures bite the city. According to Glasgow City Council figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request, 929 people have reported sleeping rough in Glasgow this year,

There are currently 8,000 people living in temporary accommodation in Glasgow, more than there have ever been, and up four per cent in the six weeks from September 18. 3,252 of them are children, as reported by the Daily Record.

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During the same time frame, the number of homelessness applications increased by 20%. The figures show an increasing reliance on B&Bs to shelter unhoused people, and follow equally alarming increases for the previous six weeks.

Campaigner Sean Clerkin, of the Scottish Tenants’ Association, said: “These horrific homeless statistics in Glasgow measured by all metrics are showing record numbers of homeless people and children living in temporary accommodation and record numbers of homeless people sleeping rough on the streets of Glasgow.

"We are near the point of no return unless the SNP- Green led Glasgow City Council and SNP led Scottish Government provide more emergency funding now to tackle this homeless disaster in Scotland’s largest city. “

The same Freedom of Information request, covering September 18 to November 1, showed a three per cent increase in children in temporary accommodation. The number of people in hotel/bed and breakfast accommodation for the year rose to 1,929 - up 6.8 per cent.

Homeless women in such unsuitable accommodation rose to 353 — up nine per cent. And the number of homeless families with children living in hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation by November 1 was 107 - up 3.8 per cent from September.

The flood of vulnerable people into homelessness meant the Unsuitable Accommodation Order, which is meant to guarantee a legal right to a decent home to families, was breached 3,426 for the year up to Nov 1 - up 13 per cent from September 18.

And up to Nov 1, 2161 kids had been counted in B&B accommodation - up 18 per cent in just six weeks. Sean Clerkin said: “We therefore need more funding for homeless services now in Glasgow to provide better wraparound services to help homeless people tackle drug and alcohol addiction and improve mental health care for homeless people.

“More funding is also needed to provide homeless women with women only halfway accommodation with a view to rapidly rehouse them into permanent social rented homes. We also need the affordable housing supply programme budget to be fully reinstated at the forthcoming Scottish Budget on 4th December 2024 so that more social rented homes can be built for homeless families with children in Glasgow instead of building mid market rented homes in the city.”

Shelter Scotland director Alison Watson said: "These figures are alarming, but unfortunately not surprising. The reality of Scotland’s housing emergency is that more and more people are living in miserable conditions, having their housing rights ignored and becoming trapped in a broken homelessness system. This is unacceptable, and yet it continues every day.

“The situation in Glasgow has continued to deteriorate since it declared a housing emergency last year; without more social homes that trend will inevitably continue.

“It’s clear there’s work to be done at every level of government to address the housing emergency, but local authorities can’t be expected to pick up the pieces on their own. The Scottish Government must use the upcoming budget to give failing local homelessness services the funding they need to deliver and invest in the social homes Scotland so desperately needs.”

Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications for homelessness charity Crisis in Scotland, said: “These figures are deeply worrying. Rough sleeping is incredibly dangerous at any time of year, but with temperatures dropping there is a very real risk to life if accommodation is not provided for those who need it.

“It is absolutely vital that support is in place for those facing the prospect of street homelessness. Councils are breeching their legal duties by not providing it. We need urgent action from both local and national government to ensure no one is forced to sleep on the street this winter. Scotland needs a wide range of action to end homelessness, but in the short term, protecting lives must be a top priority.”

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said its statistics on rough sleeping are on self-reports and may be exaggerated because of that. Many of those who report as street sleeping have complex needs, some refuse support and some have no recourse to public funds.

A spokeswoman for the city’s Health and Social Care Partnership said: “As the FOI response shows, the number of self-reported rough sleepers is significantly higher than the data we receive on a weekly basis from the Simon Community which is taken from their street team who engage with rough sleepers on a daily basis.

“We constantly monitor and respond to this data and associated intelligence while the true reflection is substantially lower. We are confident on the accuracy of the Simon Community’s weekly reporting.

“However, the reality is we are continuing to deal with increasing numbers of people coming to Glasgow to access our services and, in turn, increasing numbers of people being accommodated in unsuitable accommodation.

“It is well documented that the housing system in Glasgow is experiencing extreme pressure. We do work hard to prioritise families with children and get them into permanent accommodation as quickly as possible, with 92% currently being accommodated in furnished accommodation in the community.”

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