'Homeless could die in cold'

11/01/2010

Councils must do more to help rough sleepers, say charities

By Adam Forrest

The worst winter in 50 years has provoked fears for the fate of those sleeping rough on the streets of Scotland.

Council bosses have acted on their emergency weather plans, aimed at sheltering the most vulnerable, after stark warnings from charities that some homeless people would be left exposed to the freezing temperatures.

“The fact is that rough-sleepers die in these conditions,” said Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people. “This weather brings home the nightmare that it is to have no home.

“With some areas of the country suffering from prolonged spells of cold weather, local authorities must fulfil their obligation to shelter these most vulnerable people.”

Street teams from Glasgow’s Simon Community have been able to find beds for rough sleepers at the city’s hostels, where the city council has ensured emergency places are available.

Eileen McDaid, head of services at Simon Community, said many homeless people are reconciled with friends or family at Christmas, but January proves more difficult to find somewhere to stay.

“The concern is some don’t quite realise how bad the weather is this month,” she told The Big Issue. “Some are suffering from mental and physical heath problems, and possibly addiction issues. Their awareness of the danger of staying out in the cold is not quite as acute.”

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “Every effort is made in these circumstances to find a bed for those who need somewhere to stay.

“Our street team, Glasgow Community and Safety Services and the police are also extra vigilant at times like these and there is regular contact with voluntary groups to establish if there are people sleeping rough at the moment.”

A spokesman for Edinburgh City Council also said they were working with voluntary groups “to ensure no one is sleeping on the streets during the current cold spell”.

Shelter Scotland urged councils across the country not to evict anyone from hostels unless they have somewhere to go and to “redouble” efforts to find out where people are sleeping rough.

“We must make sure people who are homeless or forced to sleep rough are not forgotten as this severe cold snap continues,” said Graeme Brown, director of the housing and homelessness body.

“The best local authorities will already have measures in place through their homelessness strategies to ensure no one has to sleep on the streets in these extreme weather conditions.

“As the cold continues, we urge all councils across Scotland to redouble their efforts to make sure they continue to fulfil this responsibility.”

The impact of the severe winter is likely to be felt most keenly by the elderly. First Minister Alex Salmond has pointed out that this winter is the harshest since 1962-63. More than 7,000 ‘extra’ people are thought to have died in Scotland due to weather conditions during that period, compared with the 3,510 additional deaths during last year’s more typical season.

Claire Murray, of Age Concern Scotland, said: “Cold weather tends to exacerbate existing conditions which people already suffer from.”

Asylum-seeking families have also suffered from an unforgiving winter. Jane Pennington at Glasgow’s Unity centre said changes to Home Office policy at the end of last year meant those in Scotland seeking to make a fresh asylum claim are now forced to travel all the way to Liverpool for an interview.

Many have chosen to go without support and remain north of the border.

“We’ve noticed a significant increase in the number left destitute who are coming to see us this winter,” said Pennington. “Many of them have found somewhere temporary with friends.

“But with the weather as it is, to not know where you’re going to be sleeping from week to week is a terrible situation. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some in the position of sleeping rough.”