AT LEAST one young person a week in Scotland is going straight from care to registering as homeless, according to official figures.
The Scottish Government's homelessness statistics show 51 applications were made by young people coming straight from council-run children's homes.
Last year, more than 700 people who declared they had left the care system within the last five years also registered homeless or at risk of becoming so.
Campaigners and charities have called for urgent action and claim the figures show that those who should be receiving additional support when leaving care are not getting it.
Duncan Dunlop, CEO of Who Cares? Scotland said: "Absolutely no one involved of the lives of Care Experienced people will be surprised by the scale of this problem.
"We released our report, stating that we don't have to wait to make change, because of statistics like these.
"These figures show that around once a week, a young person is threatened with homelessness, or made homeless, by the people bringing them up in care. The people doing that can't feel good about it.
"The Scottish Government has said itself, with this statistical report, that the demographics of those registering as homeless hasn't changed much in a decade. It shouldn't take Care Experienced people sharing their lived experience over and over again to make something change.
"It's been evidenced, it's been studied, it's been confirmed by Care Experienced people as happening. It's difficult to understand, then, why nothing is changing."
In 2016, First Minster Nicola Sturgeon pledged a "root and branch" review of the care system during an emotional speech. at the SNP's national conference and has repeatedly stated care-experienced young people are a top priority for her government.
However as reported by the Herald on Sunday, a flagship policy to help bridge the attainment gap for those coming from care into further education has been failing due to a lack of funds for local authorities.
Care-experienced young people were receiving bursaries to go to college or university, but were having cash deducted for living costs, toiletries and even food by councils as a result.
The latest statistics on homelessness is another example of 'failed promises' according to experts.
Alison Reid, Principal Solicitor of Clan Childlaw, which provides advocacy services for young people, said: “The statistics released this week reflect our experience that people with a care-experienced background are disproportionately represented in the homeless population in Scotland.
“Prior to 2016 we had noticed that a number of the young people we were working with had significant issues in terms of their housing situation. On the back of this we launched the Street Legal pilot project in Edinburgh, specifically to provide legal help to young people facing or experiencing homelessness. Over 90% of the young people that we have helped through this project are care experienced."
Gordon MacRae, Head of Communications and Policy at Shelter Scotland, added that the figures are "another stark example" of how vulnerable people are being let down by a lack of "housing safety net".
He said: "For someone to go straight from the care system to the homeless system is not only a tragedy for that young person but also a major indictment of how our public services work.
“The fact that young people are let down in this terrible way – damaging their life chances even more - requires urgent review and attention. We need a top level and frontline joining up of support services to make sure that young people don’t fall though the safety net in this way.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "We have taken decisive action to improve the support we provide to young people leaving care. We have raised the age people can remain in their care settings or can receive individualised aftercare support to improve their transition into independent living. We have also changed the law so that young care leavers don’t have to pay council tax.
"Our Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan outlines a commitment to develop preventative pathways for the groups at highest risk of rough sleeping and homelessness. As a result we are currently working with partners to develop a care leavers pathway as a priority to protect people leaving care.
"Every young person should have an equal opportunity to succeed in life, no matter their circumstances. Homelessness legislation provides a safety net for people who become homeless.
"However, we’re clear young people leaving care should be supported into accommodation."
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