Over 3,500 more disabled Scots waiting for housing

24 Jul 2020

The Scottish Conservatives have revealed that over 3,500 more disabled Scots are currently waiting for housing compared to last year.

The figures compiled from freedom of information requests to local authorities show that the numbers of disabled people waiting for permanent housing has shot up alarmingly to 20,764 this year.

This represents an increase of just over 3,500 from 17,206 in 2019 with many people waiting years for housing as standard.

Worse, this worrying increase follows a far larger jump from 2017 when 9608 disabled Scots were waiting for housing.

The Scottish Conservatives have expressed serious concern for those waiting such a long time to find a home, and called for the SNP government to reverse this trend.

Graham Simpson, Scottish Conservative local government and communities secretary said:

“This is an absolute scandal – thousands more disabled Scots are now waiting for housing, potentially living in completely unsuitable circumstances.

“This is extremely difficult for those individuals and their families depriving them of choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes.

“Local authorities are facing insurmountable financial pressures and simply do not have the financial resources to provide these homes.

“This situation has become significantly worse over the last few years, with the numbers of Scots more than doubling since 2016.

“The SNP government must step in now, reverse this trend, and give disabled people some hope.”