The homelessness hell experienced by people in Dumfries and Galloway was at the centre of council talks last week.
North West Dumfries Councillor Paula Stevenson has been spearheading a fight to urgently address the region’s housing crisis where there is a drastic shortage of homes and hundreds of homelessness cases.
She has been horrified to learn of the situations some families find themselves, including one case where parents were separated from their kids for seven months.
During a debate on the region’s housing emergency at the full council meeting last Thursday, Councillor Stevenson highlighted two shocking cases where desperate families are being let down by the local authority.
She said: “Our casework will be filled with people in some sort of housing need.
“Two cases have stood out for me. They’re both from the private sector and it just goes to show how we’ve still got a need for private sector homes.
“One is from a Dumfriesshire area where a couple had to move out due to their landlord selling up. They had to live in a caravan for seven months, separated from their children who had to live with relatives so they could stay in a home and attend their school.
“The other one is from the Stewartry, where we know there’s a serious issue. A single parent of a child around seven has now needed to move home three times due to landlords selling up.
“And when they asked about homeless accommodation all that was available was 50 miles away from family, friends, their work and school.
“So, we really do have a housing emergency in this area – and this is the lived experience of it.”
Councillor Stevenson asked for an update on the latest homelessness figures, which senior homelessness officer Rebecca Aldridge promised to provide after the meeting.
She also questioned whether or not the council is fully funded from the Scottish Government in relation to the region’s housing need.
Councillor Stevenson added: “What’s happened to the Lochside Regeneration programme? My understanding is that it was coming back to this full council.”
Jamie Little, the council’s strategic housing and regeneration team leader, said: “In terms of the Lochside Regeneration Scheme, the submission of the masterplan to the council has been slightly delayed.
“But we are expecting to see that come to officers as a final version within the next month, and we’ll then bring that back to the economy and infrastructure committee for members’ consideration.”
At last week’s full council meeting, councillors approved an emergency housing action plan aimed at addressing the severe shortage of homes in the region.
This includes repurposing other buildings across the region as houses, bringing more empty properties back into use, and fast-tracking the delivery of new build social homes.
