Comment on latest quarterly homelessness statistics

Commenting on the latest figures from the Scottish Housing
Regulator , our director, Alison Watson, said:

“We welcome the small drop in the number of households currently living in temporary accommodation waiting for a safe, permanent home.

"We recognise the work of frontline council staff who are providing lifeline services to people who would otherwise have nowhere to go.

“It is concerning to see an increase in the number of times councils have failed to offer accommodation to people when they needed it, when there is a legal obligation to do so.

"Scotland had a housing emergency before the pandemic. We used to have hundreds of people sleeping rough on our streets every night. We don’t want to go back there. That’s why we want to see the Scottish Government working urgently to help councils secure the accommodation and other resources they need to ensure we come out of this health crisis having transformed the way we tackle homelessness. Right now, everything possible should be done to prevent more people becoming homeless and we want to see the temporary ban on evictions reinstated to keep people in their homes.”