2000 KIDS IN B&B HELL

»New figures reveal extent of homes crisis >>> Charities demand help for desperate families

- MARK MCGIVERN

THE homelessness explosion has seen almost 2000 kids forced to live in dreadful bed and breakfast accommodation in Scotland's biggest city this year.

The shock figure comes after Glasgow was forced to abandon plans to move away from such accommodation - which is illegal for terms of more than seven days.

Last night, there were calls for urgent action to get homeless kids into proper homes rather than unsuitable hotels.

Scottish Tenants Organisation spokesman Sean Clerkin said: "These latest homeless statistics for Glasgow are a disaster in that 1827 children in 2024, so far, have been put into the worst of temporary accommodation.

"These hotels and B&Bs are often the worst of places and there have been many reports of rat infestations and whole families living in a single hotel room.

"It's illegal which is why there's a massive spike in cases of breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order.

"We have more than 700 homeless men and women sleeping on the streets of Glasgow.

"Many of them having been turned away by the authorities - again breaking the law." In a 15-week period from June 1 to September 18, families flooded into temporary homes condemned by housing charities.

The snapshot, revealed in a Freedom of Information request, showed that on September 18 there were:

7861 homeless people in temporary accommodation-up seven per cent.

3150 of them were kids - up 11 per cent

1806 homeless people illegally in hotels/B&B up 10 per cent

103 families with children living in hotels/B&B up 56 per cent