Homelessness soars in Renfrewshire as council forced to house people in B&Bs

Homeless applications in Renfrewshire have topped 1,000 for the first time as the local authority confirms it is now becoming increasingly dependent on B&Bs to accommodate people in crisis.

A total of 1,028 homeless applications were made in the year to March 2024, with demand for emergency support increasing by 23 per cent in just four years.

But housing chiefs have moved to reassure people its service is not currently at risk of “systemic failure” in the days following the declaration of a national housing emergency.

Currently, Renfrewshire has 244 households in temporary accommodation, of which there are 24 children.

The council’s increased stock of 276 furnished flats means families have been given a dedicated temporary home but in a report shared with elected members this week officials admitted it simply wasn’t enough.

In the report to the housing and communities board, officials said: “This is helping Renfrewshire to meet the legal duty to provide temporary accommodation, however, like most other local authorities, the council is regrettably now having to regularly use B&Bs in order to ensure that some form of temporary accommodation can be provided for those in housing need.”

The report cited the hangover of the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and a commitment to housing asylum seekers from Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan as all contributing to the increase in demand.

It revealed Renfrewshire has seen one of the biggest hikes in applications in the country. Between January and September 2023, Renfrewshire experienced an 11 per cent jump in demand when the national figure was three per cent.

Around 80 per cent of homeless applications are from single people, with families representing a much smaller proportion of the overall figures.

A spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council said: “We do everything we can to support families and young people in Renfrewshire in housing need.

“Any homeless households with children are placed in furnished temporary accommodation flats in the community and we have dedicated support for young people in need of housing options advice and support.

“Like local authorities across Scotland, Renfrewshire is experiencing increasing pressure in demand for social housing. We have taken a number of steps to ensure we are able to continue to support those in housing need by increasing our temporary housing stock, increasing the percentage of social rented housing let to those who are homeless and deploying additional staff across homeless and housing support services.”

Other findings featured in the housing report reveal that nationally there was a three per cent increase in the number of households in temporary accommodation between April and September 2023; however, the figure for Renfrewshire was an increase of seven per cent.

But those people were moved on to permanent homes more quickly, with the average number of days spent in temporary accommodation in Renfrewshire listed as 116 days; the national average is 216.

The council has also implemented a host of measures to help prevent homelessness and has employed specialist staff to work with vulnerable groups including those fleeing domestic violence and those living with substance misuse to maintain their tenancies.

Speaking after a meeting of the housing board on Tuesday, Councillor Mags MacLaren said: “Along with other councillors I’ve noticed quite an increase in private sector tenants looking for support as their landlords have either decided to sell up or are simply increasing rents so that they become unaffordable to current tenants.

“I would like to thank Tom Irvine and his homelessness team for the support they have provided to such constituents, including ensuring that private landlords are not exploiting the situation and that proper process has taken place.”

As of May 20, 2024, there were 4,994 applicants on the waiting list for social housing. This number is comprised largely of general applicants but includes those who are homeless and those with mobility barriers and people seeking housing transfers.

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