Falkirk Council: Rising numbers of homeless people sees council turn to B&Bs

Members of Falkirk Council heard 30 people were in emergency bed and breakfast accommodation as homeless applications continue to rise.

Family breakdowns caused by the pressures of the cost of living crisis were just one reason given for homeless numbers continuing to rise steadily in recent years.

A report to Falkirk Council revealed that on average people are waiting 311 days to secure permanent housing, from the date they first make a homeless application.

At the latest meeting of the council, Independent Councillor Brian McCabe said the figure was “disappointing” and questioned why it was so high.

Head of housing Kenny Gillespie told the meeting that the council’s commitment to rehouse people as quickly as possible, through its Rapid Rehousing Plan, had been impacted by many external factors in recent years. Firstly, he said, private landlords have withdrawn from the market leading to less affordable stock available to rent, which increases the numbers of people turning to the council.

Increased living costs during the cost of living crisis are not only impacting on people’s ability to pay their rents and mortgages, they are also leading to more family breakdowns, which cause people to seek homeless accommodation.

He added that, unlike many other local authorities, Falkirk has no long-term vacant buildings that it can bring back into use.

In a bid to tackle the problem of homelessness, Falkirk Council increased its homeless stock by around 200 in recent years.

Mr Gillespie admitted to councillors that this “is still not enough”, as the latest statistics show.

He added that it also “takes away from mainstream allocations to the point that at the present time we are sitting with 30 people in bed and breakfasts for the first time in ten years due to homeless issues”.

The housing chief added that they were expecting to also see more homeless applications from refugees and asylum seekers who could be given permission to stay in this area.

Mr Gillespie told members that the council continued to work with people to tackle the root causes of homelessness.

He said: “We are doing more early intervention interviews. We’re providing better housing advice, more quickly. We’re also offering family support and mediation because a lot was about breakdowns in relations.”

The housing team also try to get financial support and advice for families, knowing that money worries can put a big strain on relationships.

Last October, councillors agreed to increase the number of properties available to homeless people to accommodate an “unprecedented number of applicants in temporary accommodation”.

At that point, time in temporary accommodation was averaging around 144 days.

Mr Gillespie said that the council is continuing to build new homes to increase its stock, telling members that the latest report on the council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan will come to the council’s executive soon for approval.

Mr McCabe said: “Obviously, the move towards bed and breakfasts is disappointing but I do fully appreciate the pressures that are being put on the service.”