A charity has declared an “emergency” after over 130 homeless people died in temporary accommodation in Glasgow in three years.
The deaths, confirmed by Glasgow council, occurred in hotels, flats and other dwellings.
Glasgow Labour leader George Redmond said: “This is an absolute scandal and shows the systems for vulnerable people are just not in place. It is also a sign of the decline of Glasgow where lifeline services are continuing to be cut.
“This council is out of touch with the struggles of families across the city.”
The shock figures were obtained by Labour from the SNP-led council.
According to the statistics, there were 132 deaths between March 2020 and the same month this year.
Fifty-one of the deaths occurred in hotels and bed and breakfasts.
Director of Shelter Scotland, Alison Watson, said: “That we’re once again discussing the number of people who have died in temporary accommodation is a miserable indictment of Scotland’s completely broken housing system.
“What clearer evidence could there be that we’re in a housing emergency than this?
“We know that delivering more social homes is the only way to end our over reliance on temporary accommodation, but the last Scottish Government budget slashed funding for new social homes.
“We must remember that these tragedies were not inevitable, they didn’t have to happen, and with the right action it is possible to ensure no such tragedy occurs again.
“Social homes can not only change lives, they can save them as well.
”I would urge the Scottish Government to reflect on that when setting its priorities.”
Lib Dem spokesperson Paul McGarry said: “The tragic deaths of homeless individuals in temporary accommodations serve as a sombre reminder of the urgent need for compassion and comprehensive societal support.
“The Scottish Government need to support local authorities to tackle the stark reality faced by those who lack a permanent place to call home, promoting affordable housing, mental health services, and holistic support systems.”
The Record revealed in November that 23 homeless people had died at three hotels after being sent there to safeguard their wellbeing.
An FOI request revealed that nine people died at the Alexander Thomson Hotel, with seven passing away at the Rennie Mackintosh Station Hotel and another seven at the Queens Park Hotel.
A total of 518 homeless people have died in Scotland since 2019.
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “During the three year period referenced, Glasgow had on average 4,500 people with active homeless applications. Sadly, 132 people from this population died while open to homelessness services from poor health and sickness, lifestyle and natural causes.
“In the same period we received 36,000 requests for support and emergency accommodation resulting in a daily hotel BnB population of between 650-750.
"While it is regrettable that 51 people died while residing in emergency accommodation, Glasgow Homelessness Health and Social Care services have robust arrangements in place to ensure we target those with multiple and complex care needs with a rigorous audit and review process in place to consider the circumstances of anyone who dies while known to our service.”
Scottish Government Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “Every single one of these deaths is a tragedy and I extend my condolences to all those affected.
“We are committed to doing all we can to prevent homelessness from happening. In addition to funding provided through the local government settlement, we are also providing local authorities with £30.5 million annually for their work to prevent homelessness. Separately, we are providing a total of £100 million from our multi-year Ending Homelessness Together fund. We also plan to introduce new homelessness prevention duties, including a duty on public bodies to ‘ask and act’ about housing situations.
“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.
“The First Minister has been clear that housing is crucial to achieving our aspirations for a fairer country. Scotland has led the UK in providing affordable housing, having delivered 122,201 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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