Families and organisations call upon First Minister to end child homelessness

Families with experience of homelessness have come together to sign an open letter to First Minister John Swinney, calling for urgent action to end child homelessness.

On 31 August, ahead of the Programme for Government, supporters will gather outside Bute House, Edinburgh, to deliver the letter to the First Minister. Supported by organisations including Shelter Scotland and Fife Gingerbread, the letter brings together the voices of families among the thousands trapped in temporary accommodation.

United, they are taking the unprecedented scale of the crisis directly to the First Minister’s front door.

A record 10,480 children are currently trapped in temporary accommodation in Scotland. These are real children whose safety, health and education are being put at risk. Many forced to spend childhoods in homes that are miles away from their schools, isolated from their friends, damaging their health and robbing them of their right to a safe and happy childhood. This should not and cannot be accepted as normal.

Following a powerful rally in Edinburgh, families affected by homelessness from across Scotland, Shelter Scotland, Fife Gingerbread and a number of partner organisations, are calling on the First Minister to put ending child homelessness at the heart of the Programme for Government. He has the opportunity to act now to ensure that every child in Scotland has somewhere safe to call home.

Shelter Scotland Interim Director Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae said:

“We are bringing this letter to the front door of Bute House so it cannot be ignored. The 10,480 children trapped in temporary accommodation cannot be ignored. The parents behind this letter who have bravely spoken out cannot be ignored.

“It is outrageous that despite having some of the best housing legislation in Scotland, the reality is too many children are growing up without a safe home, space to play or a bed of their own. Enough is enough and it’s in John Swinney’s power to change this by listening to these families and putting housing at the top of the agenda in the Programme for Government. Shelter Scotland stands with the parents who have signed this letter and all children and their families in temporary accommodation and demand action.

“We have heard promises from the Scottish Government, but they are failing to deliver. By failing to meet their targets, the Scottish Government are accepting that homelessness will rise. The longer we wait, the more children are condemned to homelessness because there simply aren’t enough social homes being built. This is not just a housing problem. This is children’s lives.”

Fife Gingerbread CEO, Laura Millar said:

"A home is more than a roof over a child's head. It should be a place where they feel safe, do their homework, celebrate birthdays, spend time with friends, watch movies together and simply get to be children.

“Right now, too many families are doing everything they can to raise their children in temporary accommodation, without the stability most of us take for granted, and they cannot solve this crisis alone. The parents behind this letter have shown incredible courage in speaking out. At Fife Gingerbread, we stand alongside families to demand action and urge the First Minister to listen to their voices and respond with the urgency and ambition needed to end child homelessness. Childhood cannot be put on hold."