B&B stays for homeless 'need time limit'

The charity Crisis has called for a seven-day limit on the use of temporary accommodation for homeless people.

It reports people living in bed and breakfast and hostel rooms for more than a year.

Crisis said the Scottish government should commit to changing the law this parliamentary year.

The Scottish government said it recognised that time spent by homeless people in such accommodation should be "as short as possible".

The charity quoted one woman, Katie, who had spent more than 52 weeks in a B&B.

She said: "It's really depressing and you're just stuck there and you don't even have any cooking facilities - all you've got is a kettle and that's it.

"So, when you're on a budget, how can you eat properly? You can't."

Current rules prevent families or pregnant women having to spend more than a week in B&B accommodation.

Scottish ministers have accepted in principle the recommendation of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group that the seven-day limit should apply to all homeless people.

Official statistics indicate a 9% increase in homeless B&B use in Scotland from 2016-17 to 2017-18.

The sector provides rooms for 1,215 people at any one time, up from 1,113.

Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said: "Access to housing is a human right, yet this report shows that homeless people are being let down across Scotland, trapped in inhumane conditions for far too long.

"Lengthy stays in B&Bs, unsupported hostels or hotels are destructive, demoralising and stop people moving on with their lives.

"We know councils are working on rapid re-housing plans that will enable homeless people to be housed faster, but there must be a legal backstop which will restrict the use of unsuitable temporary housing to just seven days for everyone."

The Scottish government has not introduced a formal time limit on B&B stays but said it is funding programmes to help homeless people find a long-term home.

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: "While temporary accommodation provides an important safety net in emergency situations, we want the time anyone has to spend there to be as short as possible.

"We are investing £6.5m to support a Housing First approach, which focuses on getting a a person into settled accommodation first so they can then access support from the security of their own home."