A support worker has warned that Scotland will see "a huge rise in homelessness" if the cost of living crisis gets worse. Julie Woods has warned that the government needs to work on preventative measures, as statistics show 250 people died from homelessness in the past year.
The Edinburgh and Lothian support worker for homeless charity Crisis UK made the claim in response to shocking figures released today. Although down slightly from 2020, when there were an estimated 256 such deaths, the total for 2021 is 52% higher than the first time the figures were produced in 2017.
The report states that over half of deaths amongst those who were homeless were due to drug-misuse - with this being the cause of 127 deaths, representing 51% of the total. Suicide accounted for 9% of deaths, while 7% were related to alcohol, according to NRS.
