In response to today’s figures which show a rise of 1,165 older people making a homelessness application, Debbie Horne, Scotland Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Independent Age said: “It is extremely worrying to see a rise in the number of older people in Scotland being threatened with homelessness. This is a tragedy at any age, and it is clear that the Scottish Government must make sure the Housing Bill progresses through Parliament as soon as possible, improving the rights of people facing homelessness and the support they receive. It’s also worrying to see that 3% of older people who had made homeless applications had experienced rough sleeping sometime in the 3 months beforehand.
“In a society that aims to be the best place in the world to grow old, no one in later life should be left without a safe and secure home. Today’s rise in the number of homeless applications comes against a backdrop of increased pensioner poverty across the nation. We must also see urgent action from the Scottish Government on this, by introducing a strategy to bring these figures down.”