Temporary accommodation the subject of two in five calls to Shelter Scotland this Christmas

Samuel* phoned Shelter Scotland in June after receiving a notice to quit while in temporary accommodation and his homelessness application was rejected by Aberdeen City Council.

Before Shelter Scotland intervened, they were deemed ‘not homeless’, despite having nowhere to call home for months for him and his two young boys following a relationship breakdown.  

Samuel said: “The temporary flat was fine; there was enough space for us all. But it all changed when I received a notice to leave and was informed of the council’s ‘not homeless’ decision.

“I felt so anxious and depressed. I wasn’t sure what our next move was going to be. Could we be out on the streets? I just couldn’t relax and after I dropped my boys at school, I didn’t even want to go back to the flat. I just wanted to be on my own. My kids knew I wasn’t myself. I told them a little bit about what was happening, but they are so young. I didn’t want to overwhelm them.

“When they saw me give a token to someone sleeping rough, I told them, ‘You must be kind to people. Life is unpredictable and you don’t know where we’ll end up’.”

The family of three were stuck in limbo while the summer holidays rolled in and new school year started. What is meant to be an exciting time for children, turned into months of uncertainty.

He continued: “I didn’t know about Shelter Scotland or how they could help but Social Bite recommended I get in touch. My housing rights worker from Shelter Scotland really helped. It took a while, but we won the case. I am so grateful to everyone who helped. We moved into our permanent home in October and I’m extremely happy.

“If I know anyone who has a similar situation to me, I’ll tell them to try and get in touch with Shelter Scotland.”

Samuel’s housing rights worker was only available because of donations from supporters of Shelter Scotland’s work. This Christmas, Shelter Scotland needs to be there for the hundreds of families facing the same terrifying uncertainty.

New data from Shelter Scotland shows that after temporary accommodation, the next most common reason for calling (17%) is people seeking help to keep their home.

It shows the stark reality of the housing emergency, and the level of distress many are facing this winter, Shelter Scotland says.

Shelter Scotland director Alison Watson said: “This is the devastating impact of Scotland’s housing emergency. This Christmas, a permanent home will be on lists to Santa for thousands of children across the country.

“We know for young people to thrive, they need to have somewhere safe, secure and stable to call home - no one should live in fear of where they are going to live. Donations this Christmas ensure families like Samuel’s have an advocate when they need one most.

“We know the country needs at least 15,693 social homes per year over the next Parliament to tackle the housing emergency, but if Ministers choose not to - we must accept homelessness will continue to rise. Many are trapped in unsuitable temporary accommodation and are increasingly experiencing more complex and more distressing circumstances.

“Only social housing can end homelessness and truly transform lives. We have the evidence, we have a plan, but it is up to the Scottish Government to invest in social housing and Scotland’s future. We’ve done it before, and we can do it again.”

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the client.