Edinburgh homeless: Number of rough sleepers in Capital doubles in three months

The charity Simon Community Scotland said the number of people sleeping rough in the Capital had risen to 103, twice the figure recorded in September. And it said it was now handing out sleeping bags to people because there was not enough accommodation.

Ir said urgent action had to be taken to tackle the homelessness emergency this Christmas.

The Simon Community Scotland street team is in contact with rough sleepers every day | supplied

Chief executive Lorraine McGrath said: “Anyone working or socialising in Edinburgh cannot fail to see the needs of people who are at the very extreme end of homelessness. We are doing all we can to help and at present this means that our teams are having to give emergency and life essential support and materials to people every day.”

But she fears that numbers will continue to escalate despite the vast amount of work being done to help.

“We need to see long term change, but immediately, we need the assistance of the people of Edinburgh to help us offer safe places, support and hope to everyone experiencing homelessness in the city.”

The Simon Community, which says it is set to have supported over 10,000 people through 2024, has a street team and support hub on Holyrood Road working seven days a week, in addition to emergency accommodation services, outreach teams, a ‘streetreads library’ and its own homes.

It says the number of people accessing services at the hub has increased by 300 per cent to 400 per week in recent months and exhausted workers are struggling to cope with demand from people looking for help.

Fiona Wiliamson, head of service for the charity in Edinburgh, said: “It’s the perfect storm – people are facing cost of living impacts and now the council is extremely limited in where people can be accommodated.

“That is driving people towards rough sleeping and we are still to face the worst of the winter. In previous years when the mercury hit zero, the council would fund accommodation in hotels and B&Bs, but we believe that may not possible this year due to legal restrictions.

“This is not just a housing emergency – it is a human emergency: 103 people are currently rough sleeping in Edinburgh. This number is more than a statistic, it represents 103 individuals without the safety, warmth, and dignity of a home. At Simon Community Scotland, we know that homelessness is solvable, but it requires all of us to act.”

She said the Sion Community street team was in contact with with rough sleepers across the Capital every day and were supplying on average 30 sleeping bags a day to those in need.

“In the past we would never have given out sleeping bags as we knew we could find some kind of emergency accommodation for people who needed it.

“Things have now got so bad we are having to offer them as a sticking plaster to provide some degree of comfort and safety. We’ve reached a point where our focus is on keeping people safe from the weather and safe from harm, but we must also consider the long-term impact that sleeping rough has on their physical and mental health.”

But the charity insists that, despite the emergency, there is still hope. Chief executive Lorraine McGrath said: “The situation is not hopeless – we know that numbers of rough sleepers were drastically reduced during the pandemic in Edinburgh, so it is possible. We need the support of everyone, nationally and locally, and we need the public to help as well – we all share responsibility for solving this situation.

“Whether through donations, volunteering, or advocating for systemic change, we can all work together to bring that number down. We can make a difference, because everyone deserves a safe place to live and access to the support they need. Everyone deserves hope."

To meet the immediate need for emergency support on the streets, Simon Community Scotland has launched a new Street Change Edinburgh Just Giving page to allow people to make donations that will go directly towards helping people on the streets.

The charity is also encouraging Edinburgh businesses to partner or support its work by emailing [email protected] to arrange a conversation.