I was forced to live in filthy temporary accommodation with my baby son who was crawling on urine soaked carpets

Stacey Grieve, 32, and son Archie, now seven, were moved around Edinburgh for nine years as the council relocated them in different temporary homes, forcing them to uproot their lives each time.

The constant moving and memories of filthy conditions still linger for Stacey and Archie, as she called the conditions of some of the temporary accommodation ‘disgraceful’.

“It was disgusting. In one place there was urine on the carpet. Archie was crawling, he was just learning to walk,” she said. “We had to go out and purchase carpets, new beds, new couches and things like that. We couldn't bring the furniture from the other house to the new one because we couldn't get a van and stuff like that. So, every house we moved out of we've had to leave furniture and then start from scratch.”

Stacey and Archie were in the homeless system for nearly a decade | Shelter Scotland

The constant upheaval has had a profound affect on Archie when he reflects on his time in the homeless system. Seven-year-old Archie, said: “It was sad. I had to leave my toys behind and my bed behind. My desk bed, it was a very high bed and had storage under the stairs. It was my favourite and now I don’t have it.”

Stacey and Archie were finally placed in a council house in November 2023, somewhere to call home. However, the mum-of-one said that the experiences in the homeless system has meant that Archie has grown up unsettled in his environment.

She said: “It breaks my heart Archie had to grow up so unsettled. One minute you're here, the next minute you're there, then he always says at nighttime, ‘Mum, are you going to be there when I wake up?’ And I reply, ‘yes, and I'm here not going anywhere’.

“There's times where he's had to go to my mum's or to his other nanny’s, because of the situations and fighting for a home. It's been horrible. I just want change for people. No one should have to go through this.“

Families in the homeless system are spending on average 234 days in temporary accommodation, with Edinburgh households spending an average of 546 days in temporary accommodation.

Archie remembers leaving behind his possessions to move | Shelter Scotland

A damning report by charity Shelter Scotland found that children are being harmed by a homelessness system that is supposed to help. Stacey and Archie’s experiences are not unique with children involved in the report speaking of witnessing violence, vermin, isolation, ill health and financial penalties simply because their family could not find a home without the help of the local authority. Commenting on the findings of the report, 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. “

It is now more important than ever to tackle the housing crisis according to Ms Watson. She said: “This research shows clearly that it is now more important than ever that all levels of government need to tackle the housing emergency and protect thousands of Scotland’s children from further harm. Children have bravely shared their experiences. Their stories don’t just demand to be heard — they demand urgent action. This is our wakeup call.”

The City of Edinburgh Council have been contacted for comment.