Cross-party support grows for ending homelessness in Scotland

A homeless charity has welcomed agreement from political parties to end homelessness in Scotland ahead of the Scottish elections.

A survey by Crisis Scotland reveals that seven in ten people (70%) are concerned about the scale of homelessness in Scotland, with the same proportion believing political parties should make ending it a national priority.

The Scottish Greens and Scottish Labour have pledged to end homelessness in Scotland by 2040.

End homelessness for good

According to the report, 81% of SNP voters believe ending homelessness should be a national priority, compared to 72% of Labour voters and 66% of Scottish Conservative voters.

Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communication at Crisis Scotland, said it is vital that political parties maintain their focus as the election approaches.

She said: “We welcome the agreement from party leaders.  It shows that there is a will from all sides to end homelessness for good and that it is, in fact, achievable.

“There are different views on how quickly this can be done, and it’s great to see the debate amongst political parties now being about when rather than if.

“However, words alone are not enough. The next parliament must be much more ambitious and act quickly to end rough sleeping, while significantly ramping up early action support to ensure no one in Scotland experiences the trauma of homelessness.

“Crisis Scotland is calling on the next government to develop a clear roadmap, backed by sustained funding and cross-party collaboration, to make this a reality by 2040.”

The news comes as research from Shelter Scotland reveals more than half of people in Scotland (54%) live in areas with failing homelessness services.

Data by the charity reveals 2.9 million people in Scotland live in an area where the local authority does not have a fully functioning homelessness service, meaning they are not guaranteed access to housing if they experience homelessness.