Our website uses Cookies - by using this site or closing this message you're agreeing to our Terms & Conditions, Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy
xNew report: In their own words - children's experiences in temporary accommodation
Date: 18th March 2025
Category:
Homelessness
A new report has exposed the harrowing conditions faced by children living in temporary homeless accommodation across the country and reveals that children are being harmed by a housing system that is meant to protect them.
Children interviewed for the report spoke of violence, vermin, isolation, and poor health while living in unsuitable accommodation. One 14-year-old boy described feeling unsafe after witnessing a stabbing outside his home, while a mother of an autistic child described how dirty conditions led to hospitalisation and severe weight loss. The report also highlights the educational struggles of children placed far from their schools. One child had to walk half an hour each day, while another fell asleep in class due to loud and disruptive living conditions.
The findings were published just weeks after Scottish Government figures showed a record 10,360 children trapped in temporary housing. Despite government promises to reduce homelessness, the number of children in temporary accommodation has risen by 149% since 2014.
Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said:
“The findings of this research should shame us all. We, as a nation are failing those children trapped in our broken and biased homelessness system. Every child in Scotland has the right to grow up in a safe, secure and affordable home. Experiencing homelessness as a child should not be traumatic and filled with worry but it seems that for the 10,360 who will wake up tomorrow without a home, their problems feel never ending.
“Temporary accommodation forms an important part of people’s rights. Everyone experiencing homelessness should be given access to temporary housing while they await the outcome of their application. It should act as a safety net and a first step out of crisis, rather than causing a new crisis in itself. What has become clear from this research is that for children, unfortunately, their experience is all too often the latter.