Homeless Children Rate Revealed

The number of homeless Scottish children this Christmas could fill Holyrood 32 times over, that's according to Shelter Scotland.

The charity says the Scottish Government needs to build 10, 000 affordable homes a year to meet demand.

Around 105, 000 families and individuals are stuck on council waiting lists, while one in five kids in Fife is in poverty.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said:

"It's completely unacceptable that in the 21st Century 4,228 children in Scotland will spend this Christmas homeless - that's enough to fill the Scottish Parliament chamber 32 times over and equivalent to more than two homeless children for every Primary School in Scotland. The temporary accommodation they are forced to live in is often poor quality housing where they can spend months or even years waiting for a home of their own.
 
"We need to see 10,000 new social homes built each year to tackle Scotland's housing crisis. That way, we can work towards a future where no child has to wake up on Christmas morning or any other morning in such awful circumstances."