One homeless person dies a week in Glasgow figures reveal

One homeless person dies every week in Glasgow according to new figures from Glasgow City Council.

According to figures, four homeless people die each month in Glasgow. Picture; Ian Georgeson

Follwoing the reports, a director of one of Scotland’s leading homelessness charity called for more to be done to tackle homelessness in the city.

Figures obtained between May 2016 and March 2017 by a Freedom of Information act from the Sunday Herald revealed that at least 39 homeless people have died in Glasgow in the just 10 months.

Details of the number of deaths in other major Scottish cities are currently unavailable.

Graeme Brown, the Glasgow Director of Shelter Scotland has called on the newly elected SNP-led council to take action.

He said: “Each one of these cases represents a human life lost too soon,

“We know that homeless people, in particular those who sleep rough, have worse health than the general population and are far more likely to die young.

“It is simply shameful that this is happening in 21st century Scotland. Sadly, we know that homelessness is still far from fixed in Glasgow and across Scotland today.”

“We urgently need real leadership and action across local and national government to get to grips with this problem,” he said.

“Safe, secure and affordable housing is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of all of us as individuals and Scotland as a country. We hope the new administration in the city will prioritise tackling this challenge head on as a matter of urgency.”

Alarmingly, the council admitted that the number of deaths released in the FOI may not be entirely accurate as it may not include all the homeless deaths in the city or rough sleepers who are not from Glasgow or currently engaged with the Council.

According to Shelter Scotland estimate up to 5,000 people sleep rough in Scotland every year, with thousands more using temporary accomodation

The majority of deaths were homeless people agred between 25 and 59.

Glasgow City Council receives each year roughly 6000 formal homelessness applications with further applications for temporary accomodation.

A spokesman for Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership said: “These figures sadly reflect the harmful lifestyles and risk taking behaviours of some people who are affected by homelessness.