Homelessness solutions are within our grasp - Kate Wallace
I appear to have arrived at Cyrenians at a pivotal time, homelessness it seems is high on the agenda. With Andy Burnham pledging to end rough sleeping in England in his maiden speech, he has certainly signalled how high it is on his list of priorities.
It is clear he has brought hope to a sector that has been in deep despair. They have been wondering whether we would ever be able to ensure our citizens can have one of life’s essentials –a safe place to call home.
Alongside getting to know Cyrenians in my first few weeks, I have been trying to get an understanding of the picture of homelessness and comparing that to when I first worked in the sector in Glasgow over 30 years ago. I am keen to truly understand Edinburgh’s situation.
The nature of Edinburgh’s homelessness issue is unique. While there are some commonalities with other local authorities there are clearly specific sets of challenges here.
There are some things to be celebrated - overall presentations of homelessness are down considerably than they were back in the early 2000s, across Scotland and within Edinburgh itself.
However, I have learnt that Edinburgh is one of two local authorities described by the Housing Regulator as being in ‘systemic failure’ regarding homelessness and that a quarter of all ‘live’ homelessness cases in Scotland are now in Edinburgh, higher than any other local authority. This is much higher than it was when this statistic was first captured in 2003 when it was only 8 per cent here.
I have also learnt that in Edinburgh there is a particular problem around the use of temporary accommodation. This has gone up across Scotland as a whole since records began in 2002 but Edinburgh has a distinct problem.
In 2002 our Capital accounted for 9 per cent of total number of people staying in temporary accommodation. In 2025, we have reached 25 per cent. And the problem doesn’t end there.
A disproportionately large proportion of homeless households with pregnant women or children in temporary accommodation are in Edinburgh, accounting for 36 per cent of the Scottish total. They can expect to wait an average of 538 days before being moved to settled accommodation, much longer than any other local authority.
As I learn more, it is becoming ever clearer why the local authority decided to declare a Housing Emergency in Edinburgh back in 2023. The scale of task before us is huge and the solutions are complex and require bold action and clear prioritisation.
But, as I continue to talk to decision-makers about their commitment to ending homelessness and preventing it from happening in the first place, the more hopeful I become.
I am further heartened as I learn more about the innovative solutions and approaches being developed by Cyrenians and others across the city and beyond. The more I learn the more I am convinced that the solutions are within our grasp – now is the time to implement them.