The Scottish Executive is facing calls to make homelessness a higher priority after it emerged that the number of homeless households in the Highlands has doubled in the past two years

A Highland council report published last Wednesday said 2050 households made homelessness applications in 2003/4, compared with 985 in 2001/2 (table, right).

The rise was the highest for any local authority in Scotland; the average increase in the past 12 months was just 6%.

David Orr, chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, said: 鈥淭here is a serious shortage of housing right across the country, and figures like these demonstrate the need for the Scottish executive to give a higher priority to the issue.

鈥淲e need homes for these people and, if the executive doesn鈥檛 act fast, it is in serious danger of failing to meet its commitment to end homelessness in Scotland by 2012.鈥�

The most common reasons for homelessness applications were loss of accommodation with families or friends (36% of applicants or 744 households), and disputes with families (17% of applicants or 356 households).

The Highland council report said it was 鈥渄ifficult to determine鈥� the reasons for the increase.

鈥淭here does not appear to be an increase in any one reason 鈥� the statistics suggest it may be a combination of increasing pressure on housing, with a corresponding lack of suitable housing options, and as a result of new duties towards homeless.鈥�

About 12% of the applications in 2003/4 were 鈥渞epeats鈥�, people who had applied the previous year. 鈥淭his indicates that the housing solution found for them was not sustainable,鈥� the report said.

Source

Housing Today

Postscript

The SFHA is to launch a campaign at its annual conference, which takes place in Edinburgh today. It will call for right to buy to be scrapped because of its 鈥渢errible effect on supply鈥�.