A LEADING charity is calling on the Scottish Government to speed up moves on a seven-day time limit on the use of unsuitable temporary homelessness accommodation such as B&Bs.

The call from Crisis comes as research exposes the suffering caused by some accommodation.

The survey found restrictions such as curfews and bans on visitors were having a “devastating impact” on people’s mental health.

Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh, East Lothian, Glasgow, Highland and Midlothian hold the worst record of long-term placements in unsuitable temporary accommodation.

In these areas, Crisis found that 60% were subject to a curfew,

three-quarters were not allowed visits and 84% said they felt isolated by their living situation. Just under half (45%) had no kitchen access, over half of respondents said they regularly skipped a meal, and one-third had no fridge access.

Crisis found that 88% of respondents were experiencing depression due to their living conditions. Six out of 10 people also reported a negative impact on their substance use and 90% were uncertain about their future.

Fewer people are leaving unsuitable temporary accommodation than in previous years – last year 4730 households entered B&B in Scotland but only around half left, meaning more people are being trapped in inappropriate conditions.

Katie is being supported by the Crisis Skylight team in Edinburgh and has been stuck in a B&B for over a year.

“I ended up in a B&B with an 11pm curfew and you weren’t allowed any nights away,” she said. “The landlord was very strict about that and I felt that he played god with it and I’d have to beg to have a night away. The room was horrible, there was blood on the walls and all sorts of stuff.

“It’s really depressing and you’re just stuck there and you don’t even have any cooking facilities. All you’ve got a kettle and that’s it. So, when you’re on a budget, how can you eat properly? You can’t and you can’t have people to visit. When you’re at the lowest point in your life you want to be around people that love you.”

Crisis is calling on the Scottish Government to change the law so that there is a seven-day time limit on the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation for all.

Currently, a seven-day restriction applies to families and pregnant women, but there is no limit at all for anyone else experiencing homelessness. Though ministers have accepted in principle that this law should be extended to all, the charity says it has given no indication on when this will happen.

Crisis says councils could save £29 million in 2018 alone by immediately moving people into more appropriate forms of temporary accommodation, such as supported lodgings.

“Access to housing is a human right, yet this report shows that homeless people are being let down across Scotland, trapped in inhumane conditions for far too long,” said Jon Sparkes, Crisis chief executive. “Lengthy stays in B&Bs, unsupported hostels or hotels are destructive, demoralising and stop people moving on with their lives.

“We know councils are working on rapid re-housing plans that will enable homeless people to be housed faster, but there must be a legal backstop which will restrict the use of unsuitable temporary housing to just seven days for everyone. This would prevent the current situation from ever happening again.”

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “We are investing £6.5m to support a Housing First approach, which focuses on getting a person into settled accommodation first so they can then access support from the security of their own home.”