Exclusive:'Damaging': Hundreds of pregnant women among homeless in Edinburgh
Hundreds of pregnant women have made homeless applications in Edinburgh since 2021, with around two dozen of them under the age of 18.
Figures show 478 have made applications, and between 22 and 26 of them were under 18. In 2023 alone, 149 pregnant women were among the homeless, with eight under the age of 18.
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Hide AdMaeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications for homelessness charity Crisis in Scotland, said it was vital politicians act to end homelessness.


She said: “No one should be forced to experience the trauma and indignity of homelessness, but for pregnant women the experience can be particularly damaging.
“We see the impact homelessness can have on a person’s physical and mental health every day through our frontline services. Homelessness strips people of dignity, it puts strain on relationships with friends and family, and it can make it hugely challenging to plan for the future.
“It’s vital that we act now to stop more people, including pregnant women, from being forced into homelessness. The Housing Bill, expected to be debated in the Scottish Parliament next week, offers the opportunity to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place, by allowing people to get help earlier, before they reach a point of housing crisis.
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Hide Ad“Every child in Scotland should get a good start in life – but we can’t make that possible without ending homelessness.”
The latest figures were revealed in a response to a Freedom of Information request published on the council’s website.
Edinburgh is one of more than a dozen local authorities in Scotland to have declared a housing emergency. A report by the council earlier this year said there were 5,000 homeless households in the city living in temporary accommodation.
“These households account for around 7,000 individuals, with around 1,300 of the overall homeless population living in accommodation that is classed as unsuitable,” it added.
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Hide AdEarlier this month, councillors agreed a plan to move hundreds of homeless people out of unlicensed temporary accommodation by the end of November.
Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater, who is a Lothian MSP, previously told The Scotsman the city was on the brink of “a humanitarian crisis”.
“Edinburgh Council has got into a really difficult situation,” she said. “Moving all these people into suitable accommodation will take months, but the council says it needs to do this by the end of the month.
“Time is ticking, and no-one wants to see a humanitarian crisis in the middle of Edinburgh. The council has been in breach of its obligation to house people in suitable accommodation for a long time, and in exceptional circumstances like Covid it was better to get them into some form of housing rather than having them on the streets.
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Hide Ad“But Edinburgh Council has a duty to house people properly, and that will take months and months.”
Jane Meagher, Edinburgh Council’s housing convener, has called the pressures on temporary accommodation “unprecedented”.
Responding to the statistics on pregnant women, she said: “Protecting vulnerable people will always be our key priority. We’ll provide tailored and person-centred support to anyone who finds themselves homeless.”
In May, the Scottish Government declared a national housing emergency, citing UK government budget cuts and austerity. While this had no automatic practical impact, it was a formal recognition of the crisis.
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