A rise in the number of rough sleepers in Glasgow and Edinburgh could be “an indication of worse to come”, a Scottish homeless charity has warned.
Hugh Hill, deputy CEO of Simon Community Scotland, said that while the number of people sleeping in the streets of both cities has been “historically low”, the numbers have risen sharply in 2023.
He revealed that the charity’s Street Teams are currently preventing over 100 people from having to spend the night on the streets in Glasgow and Edinburgh every week.
For comparison, a rough sleeping count conducted in November by the charity and volunteers from a variety of partners across Glasgow - including the NHS, Glasgow City Mission and Police Scotland - identified seven people rough sleeping in the city.
A subsequent count conducted at the end of April confirmed that rough sleeping numbers in Glasgow were still “in single figures”.
READ MORE: Edinburgh Council warns SNP over homeless funds after city cases soar
During the Covid pandemic in March 2021, Simon Community Scotland revealed that the number of rough sleepers in Glasgow was ‘less than five’.
At the time, the charity, which is Scotland’s largest provider of homelessness services, hailed the figures as a "a remarkable achievement".
Simon Community Scotland believed the figures to be “arguably the lowest of any major city in Europe", and credited the hard work and determination of a multi-agency approach alongside the support of the Scottish Government for making such figures possible.
In a recent blog post, Mr Hill wrote: “Since Covid, rough sleeping numbers across our two major cities have been historically low (although in an ideal world, no-one would be rough sleeping) and that is something we should be proud of.
“However as 2023 passes, we are seeing these numbers rise in both cities – this could be an anomaly or an indication of worse to come and the teams are working with our partners to respond, understand and adapt to whatever changes may occur.
“We have seen incredibly successful collaborations across all partnerships but the pressures are mounting, now we need to work creatively to find ways to do better with what we have in a world of reducing finance and resources.”
It comes after Ashley Young, Head of Service at the Simon Community Scotland’s Glasgow Access Hub, revealed that the charity has started giving out sleeping bags in Glasgow for the first time in well over three years because of the rise in number of rough sleepers in the city.
Murray Easton, Head of Fundraising & Communications at Simon Community Scotland, told The Herald that in Glasgow alone, the charity supported 36 people to find a safe place to sleep last week and actively supported 34 people who continued to sleep outside.
He noted that the rise in the number of rough sleepers in Glasgow and Edinburgh is proving to be a “relentless and increasing challenge”.
Mr Easton said: “At Simon Community Scotland we care for everybody on the streets. We know through years of experience, that being on the street, regardless of your circumstances, is simply not safe.
“Despite this week's lovely unseasonable weather we are preparing for colder, darker and wetter days and nights to come at a time when our teams are flat out supporting over 60 people rough sleeping in our two major cities and twice that presenting each week with nowhere to stay who we are managing to help find somewhere safe.
“It is a relentless and increasing challenge and heartbreaking for our staff when as a last resort they hand over a sleeping bag knowing that person will be on the streets tonight.
“Our Access Hub is open 7-days a week for empathy, information, care and support. That includes benefits advice, healthcare support, legal advice, education classes, haircuts, vets and more. Our Street Team also work 7-days per week and our 24-helpline is 0800 027 7466 if you or anyone you know needs help."
A spokeswoman for Glasgow’s Health and Social Care Partnership said: “We receive weekly updates from Simon Community who are commissioned to provide outreach support and keep track on rough sleeping trends in the city.
“It is helpful to acknowledge that the Simon community have assisted in the prevention of rough sleeping with the HSCP accepting responsibility for providing accommodation in these cases.
“While it is too early to say there is a consistent rise in the number of rough sleepers, we acknowledge there has been an increase especially in those cases we do not hold a statutory responsibility which includes those with no recourse to public funds, those with existing tenancies and includes those who do not wish to engage with services.
“We are aware of a small population of rough sleepers for whom we hold statutory responsibility for and continue to engage with, ensuring emergency accommodation provision is available wherever possible.
“Given the current pressures and the lack of accessible housing supply we acknowledge the level of risk which could impact upon rough sleeping figures in the city and we will continue to review this with our key partners.”
Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership were approached for comment.
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