THE number of people applying for homelessness assistance across Scotland has risen, according to the latest figures.

Official statistics show councils received 18,486 applications during the six months between April 2018 and September 30.

This represents a 2 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2017.

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said the figures were "bad news for anyone facing homelessness in Scotland and if alarm bells weren’t already ringing in Holyrood they should be now".

He said: “Homelessness in Scotland continues to increase – with even more children in homeless temporary accommodation than last year and people having to stay longer in temporary accommodation with their lives in limbo.

"And with hundreds of breaches of the unsuitable accommodation order and households being turned away from temporary accommodation they are entitled to thousands of times, it is clear there is a housing emergency in Scotland.

“This is more evidence that the good progress on homelessness we have seen in recent years is being eroded and homelessness is blighting the lives of even more people in Scotland – robbing them of their health, security and a fair chance in life.

“We know homelessness can’t be solved overnight and we welcome the recent focus on homelessness from the Scottish Government.

"But it is now time for urgent action from all areas of local and national government to work together better to tackle and prevent homelessness in Scotland."

Scottish Labour’s housing spokeswoman Pauline McNeil branded the rise “disgraceful” and said it should prompt “hard questions inside the government”.

The latest statistics follow a period of declining homelessness applications beginning around spring 2010.

However, this downward trend has slowed over the last couple of years and has levelled out since 2015.

Figures show there was a 1.3% increase in applications in the 12 months to September 20, 2018, compared with the same period in 2016/17.

Meanwhile, there were 10,955 households in temporary accommodation, an increase of 56 (+ 0.5%) on the year before.

The number of children in temporary accommodation rose by 245, or 4%, to 6,826.

Households spent an average of 175 days – just under six months – in temporary accommodation placements, with families with children spending even longer.

Elsewhere, there were 345 breaches of legislation covering unsuitable accommodation, 260 of which were in Edinburgh.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “We know that UK Government welfare changes are impacting on the most vulnerable in our society and we are doing everything within our powers, including investing over £127 million in 2018/19 to mitigate UK welfare reform, and drive lasting change to prevent and end homelessness.

“While the long-term trend shows a decrease in the number of homeless applications, down almost 40% since 2008, the Scottish Government is taking decisive action to end homelessness completely.

“Making a homeless application does not usually indicate that people are roofless or sleeping rough, but it does indicate an acute housing need and Scotland’s strong homelessness rights mean families are placed in temporary accommodation as a legal right, with 78% of this being furnished social rent homes.

“We are clear that one person being made homeless is one too many, particularly in households which include children. That is why we have established a £50m fund and published an action plan which takes forward the 70 recommendations from our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group.

“We know that for some people, particularly those with multiple complex needs and those most at risk of rough sleeping, effective support for their wider needs is as important as a settled home.

“So we are pursuing a shift towards getting a person into settled accommodation first, so they can then access support from the security of their own home.”