Rats, maggots and dirty beds: State of temporary homeless and refugee accommodation in Scotland revealed

Refugees have revealed they are being housed in temporary accommodation infested with maggots, rats and dirty bedding, as a leading charity warned around 80 people are sleeping rough in Edinburgh.The Scotsman’s health correspondent, Joseph Anderson, investigates.

Over the last year, Crisis has reported more demand from people sleeping in their cars, as well as a rise in refugees and people seeking asylum in need of help.

“The carpet is full of maggots and there are rats, too – they appear when I am in bed, then disappear again,” said Mohamed, a Sudanese refugee describing his temporary accommodation in Scotland’s wealthy capital city.

“The smell is really bad, there must be something in the carpet because when I turn on the heat it gets worse,” he said.

“The bed sheets and everything are really dirty. They wash it but it’s always still dirty. It’s not suitable for a human at all. I was really disappointed, and I tried to change – I emailed the council – but nothing happened, no one cared.”

Around 80 people are sleeping rough in Edinburgh over the Christmas period, a leading homeless charity has warned.

Another refugee, who spoke to The Scotsman on condition of anonymity, said he “went through torture to get here”, but the suffering he is experiencing in Scottish temporary accommodation has made him wonder if it was all worth it.

“The kitchen is not accessible but my doctor has written to say I need support with a specific diet, but it makes no difference, they won’t accept that,” he said.

“It is damaging my health, and my mental state as well. I had surgery and the doctor told me I need to adjust my lifestyle, but I am not eating properly and the staff don’t care.

“My condition has now worsened to the extent that I am throwing up blood, that is how bad it has become. They won’t even allow me to warm food if I have it.

Crisis has just launched its annual winter appeal for support, amidst a backdrop of a 50 per cent rise in demand for its frontline service in Edinburgh, compared to last year.

“It has affected me very badly – I am not supported but my health is getting worse and I am really frustrated.

“I have asked the council to move me somewhere else many times, and I have letters from the doctor, but they are saying their priority is mothers.”

The powerful testimonies come as a a leading homelessness charity warned that rising levels of homelessness in Scotland are pushing services towards breaking point, with around 80 people sleeping rough in Scotland’s capital during the festive period.

Crisis is reporting rising demand for support, with the charity also warning that a lack of capacity in emergency homelessness accommodation is driving a rise in rough sleeping, as well as forcing more people to spend long periods in “unacceptable conditions”.

According to the charity, “capacity is stretched by a failure to prevent homelessness in Scotland”, with “overwhelmed” local authorities increasingly unable to meet legal duties to people in housing crisis, with families spending longer periods of time in “unsuitable accommodation, often with damp, mould and pest infestation”.

The charity has just launched its annual winter appeal for support, amidst a backdrop of a 50 per cent rise in demand for its frontline service in Edinburgh, compared to last year.

While in 2020, the number of people rough sleeping in Edinburgh fell to below ten people on any given night, a headcount in September found 80 people sleeping on the streets of the capital – with Crisis expecting the figure over Christmas to be just as high.

There has also been an increase in people losing their homes in the private rented sector due to unaffordable rents.

Over the last year, Crisis has reported more demand from people sleeping in their cars, as well as a rise in refugees and people seeking asylum in need of help.

The charity has warned that, with services prioritising families experiencing homelessness, it is increasingly common for individuals to be turned away without support.

A new report from the Scottish Housing Regulator says there has been a “systemic failure in the delivery of homelessness services in some areas of Scotland”.

Meanwhile, the most recent Scottish Government statistics show that the number of households in Scotland’s homelessness system is at its highest since data collection began, with record numbers of children living in temporary accommodation.

Mark Kennedy, the director the Crisis Centre in Edinburgh, said: “Crisis at Christmas has been offering support for people experiencing homelessness for more than 50 years. But, as we move further into winter, we are now seeing the biggest rise in demand for years.

“As pressure on the homelessness system grows, we are seeing more people being forced to sleep rough and more people forced to spend long periods of time in accommodation which is totally unsuitable for their needs.

“Councils are being stretched and, without action to prevent homelessness, demand will continue to rise.

“We know it’s within our reach to end homelessness altogether, but until that time comes, we’ll still be here at Christmas and all year-round helping people directly out of homelessness and campaigning for the social changes needed to end it.”

Over Christmas, Crisis is expecting to deliver hundreds of hot meals to people experiencing homelessness in Edinburgh and the Lothians, as well as hosting a sit-down dinner on Christmas Day.

The charity will also provide wellbeing packs for people experiencing homelessness, Christmas presents for children and services such as podiatry, haircuts, as well as an eye-clinic, run by Specsavers, and offer companionship for people feeling isolated, with wellbeing calls and social activities taking place over December and early January.

Councillor Jane Meagher, the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener at Edinburgh City Council, said: “It breaks my heart that close 5,000 households will wake up on Christmas morning in Edinburgh in temporary – homeless – accommodation. Many more are facing the threat of becoming homeless, suffering financial and domestic stress every day.

“It’s so important people know there is help available so I want to thank Crisis for the support they’ve put in place this winter. I’m grateful to every single one of our partners and council officers who are at the end of the phone, in our local offices and on the street doing their very best to prevent and address homelessness in Edinburgh.”