Charlene, placed in temporary housing in Edinburgh, feels unsafe and is scared to walk her dog due to threats.
Charlene has health problems. She cannot leave if the lift breaks down, adding that the area isn’t safe or nice. People have threatened her, making her scared.
Shelter Scotland shared some data. Many people stay in bad homeless housing. They found 945 issues with housing rules. This was between April and September of last year.
Charlene has fibromyalgia. She said hotel life was difficult, though staff were nice and let her keep her dog. However, the hotel had no cooking options. Church meals helped, but she couldn’t always eat them. She sometimes went days without food.
Charlene visited the council often. She sometimes waited hours for help. They told her there was no space available. Shelter Scotland intervened and found housing. She still does not like it there. Her anxiety makes it hard to walk her dog.
Her neighbor got a permanent home. Charlene might wait for years. She knows empty homes need work, and that the council needs to fix them faster. She wants a home near family and her son.
Her place has basic things like two sofas, a fridge, a cooker, and a bed. She needs a TV. Charlene doesn’t buy much. She wants to move fast if a home opens. She needs a place to call her own.
People judge the homeless, she said. It is very cruel and unfair. She wants people to know it’s rarely their fault. They deserve the same respect as anyone else.
Alison Watson directs Shelter Scotland. She said there’s been a lack of housing investment. Temporary housing should be short and not a long-term stay, adding that rising numbers are bad. Everyone needs a safe, permanent home. Politicians need to fund this properly, because housing is a basic right.
Shelter Scotland stated some facts. Over 3,290 kids lived in temporary homes as of last September. The number rose 11% in six months. About 4,112 households lacked stable housing, which went up 8% in the same period.
Councilor Lezley Marion Cameron talked about housing, noting Edinburgh needs more temporary housing. People stay too long in those places. They need funding to fix the housing emergency. Because of these circumstances, the pressure on services will keep growing.
