Almost 5,000 children in Scotland will be homeless this Christmas, a housing charity has warned.
Shelter Scotland said the figure will be over 80,000 across the UK as the number of families in emergency housing is at a 10-year high.
It has launched an emergency appeal and is calling on the Scottish Government to adopt guidelines on minimum standards of temporary accommodation to prevent people being put in “dangerous” properties. The charity said it helped around 1,000 people at risk of homelessness last winter.
It wants people to sign an online petition and “send an e-Christmas card” to the first minister backing the charity’s campaign.
Director Graeme Brown said: “It’s a badge of shame that 4,847 children in Scotland will spend this Christmas living in temporary accommodation, some in hostels.
“With no agreed standards for the quality of accommodation they are sent to, many end up in cold, damp, dangerous and completely unsuitable properties, risking their long-term health and wellbeing.
“We’re asking the Scottish Government to commit to guidelines for standards in temporary accommodation and to change the law so families can challenge the appalling conditions they are often forced to live in. That way, we can ensure in future no child wakes up on Christmas or any other morning in such terrible circumstances.”
The charity’s data shows main causes of homelessness include relationship breakdowns and job losses leading to eviction or home repossession.