Livingston MP Gregor Poynton has challenged the Scottish Government to match Prime Minister Andy Burnham's commitment to get every rough sleeper off the streets by Christmas. The UK Government's plan was unveiled as part of a £442m package last week.
In England, emergency accommodation will be provided alongside practical support for health needs, after Burnham made ending rough sleeping his first pledge upon entering Downing Street in July.
Record homelessness in Scotland
Poynton said Scotland should respond with the same urgency in light of record levels of homelessness north of the border, including more than 33,000 live homelessness applications and over 18,000 households in temporary accommodation, including more than 10,000 children.
In a letter to Scottish Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville, Poynton said: "The ambition behind this announcement is straightforward: no one should have to sleep on the streets.
"I believe the Scottish Government should match that ambition and I am therefore asking you to set out a clear Scottish programme to similarly ensure that everyone sleeping rough in Scotland has a route off the streets.
"This should be an urgent priority.
"Behind every figure is a person or a family facing the insecurity and indignity of homelessness. Yet after almost two decades of SNP government, the Scottish Government is presiding over record levels of homelessness and rough sleeping.
"That record makes it all the more important that the Scottish Government responds positively to the UK Government's announcement rather than simply allowing another winter to pass without the necessary action."
Housing emergency and deaths
Ministers declared a national housing emergency in 2024 after a severe shortage in social homes, an increase in homelessness and rising property costs. In March, new data showed around 230 people died while experiencing homelessness in Scotland in a year.
The National Records of Scotland said the 2024 data showed homeless people were more likely to die from external factors like drugs, accidents, suicide and assaults.
Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications at Crisis Scotland, urged all political parties to commit to ending homelessness by 2040 in their manifestos ahead of the Holyrood elections.
Burnham's pledge and Scottish response
Burnham's latest pledge seeks to build on the success of a Covid scheme that saw thousands of rough sleepers housed in hotels and temporary accommodation. The Prime Minister said government funding "may not fully get us there" and appealed to charities and organisations to work with councils to ensure help is offered to everybody who needs it.
Rooms in shared flats or houses, B&B accommodation, spaces for short-term refuge and supported lodgings are among the types of accommodation that could be used, according to UK Government guidance. Burnham said: "We did it in the pandemic. We can do it again."
Poynton said he has asked the Scottish Government to confirm if it will match the commitment. He added: "Nobody should be spending Christmas sleeping rough on the streets of Scotland. The question for the Scottish Government is simple: will they match this ambition, or will they tell those facing rough sleeping that they have to wait even longer for the action they need?"
Somerville said: "The most effective way to end homelessness for good is to prevent it happening in the first place. That is why we are investing £50 million in our new Homelessness Prevention Fund, which will support people before they reach crisis point.
"But for those that do reach that point, Scotland has the strongest housing and homelessness rights in the UK and, unlike in England, anyone at risk of or engaged in rough sleeping in Scotland is already entitled to help to secure a permanent home and temporary accommodation if they need it in the short term.
"We have also taken decisive action to eradicate the use of night shelters in Scotland - since 2020, we have invested over £1.6 million to support the operation of rapid rehousing welcome centres as a more dignified and safer winter alternative for people at risk of rough sleeping.
"Meanwhile, current UK Government policies, particularly the freeze to local housing allowance, are deepening poverty and driving homelessness. Ministers have repeatedly called on the UK Government to uprate it, to close the gap between housing benefits and real-world rents."
