Campaigners slam "disgraceful" homelessness stats as almost 200 kids living without permanent home in Stirling

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Housing campaigners have branded figures showing almost 200 children are living in temporary accommodation in Stirling as “disgraceful”.The latest Scottish Government data on homelessness has revealed an improvement in the Stirling area for the second straight year in the number of people assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness.A total of 450 people were included under that measurement for 2021/22, a slight reduction on the 465 for the same point the previous year and a sharp drop on the 593 recorded in 2019/20.It means that the number of households in Stirling assessed as homeless sat at 573 per 100,000 of the population - well below the national average of 632.However, that figure has been matched by high totals for the numbers living in temporary accommodation in the region - a situation which has been characterised by long waits as homeless people in Stirling wait almost a year on average for a permanent roof over their heads.The same report outlines that 354 households were living in temporary digs in Stirling in 2022, with 190 children among that number.Meanwhile, the average total time spent in temporary accommodation in Stirling has also witnessed a sharp rise over the last year - 322 days in 2022 compared to 239 the previous year.This increase of 83 days was the second-largest such increase measured across all of Scotland’s council areas, with only Edinburgh reporting a faster rise.The situation has come under fire from national housing charity Shelter Scotland, who have called for urgent action to improve access to social housing.Shelter Scotland director, Alison Watson, said: “The increasing number of households trapped in temporary accommodation in Stirling reflects the seriousness of the housing