Lanarkshire Conservative politicians have described local homelessness levels as “scandalous”.
Central Scotland list MSPs Meghan Gallacher and Graham Simpson hit out after new figures revealed that the number of households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness are at their highest level since 2011-12, with 40,685 homelessness applications recorded across Scotland last year.
The number of children stuck in temporary accommodation has also hit record highs, with more than 10,000 young people now without a permanent home.
In South Lanarkshire, a total of 2709 homelessness applications were recorded, while 1670 homelessness cases remain live.
The statistics also show that 764 households are stuck in temporary accommodation in South Lanarkshire.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring North Lanarkshire a total of 2,226 homeless applications were recorded, while 960 homelessness cases remain live.
A total of 620 of households are currently stuck in temporary accommodation.
Meghan Gallacher MSP said: “The levels of homelessness in North and South Lanarkshire are scandalous.
“The SNP took far too long to agree that there was a housing emergency in Lanarkshire and right across Scotland.
“Their disgraceful inaction has led to shocking levels of homelessness being recorded.
“Most shockingly it is children who are often being impacted by being stuck in temporary accommodation which is wholly unsuitable to live in.”
Mr Simpson added: “The SNP decided to deliver a brutal cut of almost £200 million to the housing budget and these figures highlight the devastating effect that has had in Lanarkshire.
“These figures should be wake-up call for SNP ministers to finally deliver the resources that will guarantee everyone in Lanarkshire has a permanent place to call home.”
In addition, the average length of time to close a homelessness case increased to 278 days, 11 days longer than the previous year.
The number of households reporting rough sleeping the night before application has risen from 1,493 to 1,916 and in the three months prior from 2,425 to 2,931.
The Scottish Government declared a “housing emergency” earlier this year.
Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “These figures are deeply concerning and I know the lack of a settled home seriously affects people’s health and life chances.
“They demonstrate the scale of the challenge we face in tackling the housing emergency and I am determined to work with partners to reverse this trend.”
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