At least 157 homeless Scots died last year, taking the total in just three years to 518. Campaigners have branded the situation a “national disgrace” and reversal of an £81 million funding cut.
Data on verified deaths for 2022 from the Museum of Homelessness suggest a 15 per cent drop compared to 2021, when Covid was rife. But campaigners have claimed that the figures are still out of control and a direct result of failure to provide affordable homes over many years.
The revelation of latest figures came as Sean Clerkin, of the Scottish Tenants Association, led a protest at a conference in Glasgow held by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations - which was costing £252 for delegates to attend. Clerkin said the latest death toll is caused by underfunding, which makes a sick contrast to the huge sums being paid just to take part in talks on homelessness.
He said: “A total of 518 homeless people have died in Scotland since 2019, which is a national disgrace and a testament to the complete indifference of the Scottish Government to homeless people. The total includes 50 Homeless people in Glasgow and 40 in Edinburgh in 2022.
“We are living through a homelessness crisis and we demand that tens of thousands of new social rented homes should be built with wraparound services to support vulnerable people as a matter of priority."
Clerkin said the Scottish Government should reverse cuts to a fund to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. He said: “The target was laudable and realistic if the Scottish Government made a genuine commitment but they have abandoned that.”
The Museum of Homelessness figures include people sleeping rough as well as those placed in emergency accommodation and other insecure settings. Each fatality was verified by a freedom of information request, charity or family member.
The numbers are expected to under-report the real death toll, as Fife Council did not respond to the FOI request and other deaths may not have been captured in the final numbers. It was revealed last year that the plan set out by Nicola Sturgeon in a Programme for Government in 2021 has seen its budget cut by £81million, dropping from £831m in 2022/23 to £752m in the next financial year.
When launching the homes plan two years ago, the First Minister said at least 70 per cent of the 110,000 social and affordable homes will be for social rent. But documents confirming the cuts to the More Homes budget state that cuts reflect “wider budgetary pressures” across the Scottish Government.
Shelter Scotland Director Alison Watson said the latest death stats show that Scotland is not backing up promises on homelessness. She said: “No one in Scotland should be denied their right to housing, let alone die while waiting for somewhere to call home.
“Scotland has some of the strongest laws protecting people against homelessness in the world, but these laws aren’t worth the paper they’re written on if the homes people need aren’t available. A shortage of social housing means people across the country are being forced to endure grim conditions in unsuitable temporary accommodation.
“The Scottish Government’s decision to slash the funding available for new social homes in the latest budget will have disastrous consequences for the fight against homelessness unless the new First Minister changes course rapidly.”
Watson said Humza Yousaf has made clear that tackling poverty is his top priority. She added: “Delivering social homes has to be at the heart of that strategy. If it isn’t, the housing emergency will only get worse.”
In the First Minister’s first main address to the Scottish Parliament he re-affirmed his commitment to establishing more affordable homes for Scots.
A Wheatley Group spokesperson said: “We work closely with our key partners and local authorities to help tackle homelessness. We aim to house around 10,000 homeless households over five years.”
Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “Every single one of these deaths is a tragedy. While homeless deaths are hard to accurately measure, we know that experience of multiple forms of extreme disadvantage, including homelessness, poor mental health and opioid dependence, is linked to higher rates of ill health and premature death.
“We are committed to doing all we can to address disadvantage and prevent homelessness from happening in the first place. That is why we are introducing new homelessness prevention duties in the forthcoming Housing Bill and why we continue to support local authorities to develop Housing First programmes.
"As part of the national mission on drug deaths, we are also working to strengthen partnerships between health and homelessness services to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and multiple complex needs, including substance use.
“Outlining the Scottish Government’s priorities today, the First Minister was clear that housing is crucial to achieving our aspirations for a fairer country. Scotland has led the way in delivering affordable housing across the UK and the Scottish Government per capita spending on affordable housing is more than three times higher than the UK Government.
"We have delivered more than 118,000 homes since 2007, and we remain committed to making available £3.5 billion for affordable housing over the current parliamentary session as part of our ambitious plans to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.”
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