More children in temporary accommodation in Fife, figures reveal

Figures released by the Scottish Government reveal the extent of homelessness in the Kingdom with 170 more children living in temporary accommodation at the end of September 2022, compared with the same period in 2021. This was the third highest in Scotland.

There has been a marked increase in the number of homelessness applications overall, with five per cent more applications from January 2022 - September 2022, compared with the same period in 2021.

Councillor Judy Hamilton, Fife Council’s strategic spokesperson for Housing and Building Services, said: “As the Scottish Government bulletin highlights, we are seeing extreme continuing pressures on homelessness services in Fife, just like the rest of the country.

"We are acutely aware of the issue but we are making positive progress in changing our temporary accommodation and moving people on to permanent arrangements. This is following the Sheriff Court judgement that had a major impact on our ability to provide temporary accommodation".

In March 2022, the Sheriff Court found that all homeless households are secure tenants, meaning those affected do not have to leave the property. Whilst there has been an attempt to create new temporary accommodation, Cllr Hamilton highlighted the increased demand.

Cllr Hamilton continued: “We have created new temporary accommodation and are enhancing the range of housing we offer, with support options for tenants who are more vulnerable.

“We are, however, seeing an increased demand on all services as the cost of living crisis increases. This is having a particular impact on temporary accommodation.

"Other factors mean more households are facing vulnerable and fragile housing circumstances, across social and private housing sectors.

“Equally, the supply of good quality, affordable housing continues to reduce as services, housing associations and other organisations and partners recover from the pandemic".

Fife also had one of the highest numbers of breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order. There were 375 breaches between January and September 2022. Only Edinburgh and West Lothian breached the order more.

The Scottish Government report highlights that the figures presented could understate the scale of the issue due to reporting anomalies.