Lack of responsibility ‘real challenge’ in tackling student homelessness

A lack of responsibility is the “real challenge” in tackling student homelessness, MSPs have been told.

Holyrood’s Education, Children and Young People Committee took evidence on Scotland’s universities on Wednesday.

It followed reports of students across Scotland being unable to find appropriate accommodation before commencing their studies at the start of the academic year.

The National Union of Students (NUS) in Scotland reported this year that 12% of students had experienced homelessness at some point since starting their courses.

Ellie Gomersall, president of the NUS in Scotland, said the real challenge in tackling student homelessness is that there is no responsibility being taken.

Ms Gomersall told MSPs that despite increasing student numbers at certain institutions, there is a “real lack of quality, affordable accommodation for students”.

She said: “Those are the key words there, in terms of quality and affordable, because actually we are seeing that there are some rooms that are sitting there but are such poor quality that they’re just not fit for purpose for a student to be able to live and study in.

“Or they are so expensive that they’re just not affordable for students.

“The real challenge here is that actually I don’t think anyone is really taking responsibility for this.”

Mary Senior, from the University and College Union Scotland, described the situation as a “perfect storm” as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

She said: “Students are really at the sharp end and our members are suffering in terms of workload and the additional one-to-one support, which students need if they’re going to progress.

“I was talking to our members in universities over the past week on their concerns around homelessness and the worries that students have about where they live, sofa surfing, cost of living.

“That’s not conducive to progressing effectively through the system.”

The committee was told that often, the nature of homelessness presents itself in the form of things such as sofa surfing, meaning students may not register as homeless with their local authority or place of study.

Ms Gomersall said: “Often we don’t know – institutions don’t know – that that student is homeless because the student doesn’t know where to turn to.

“I think what we need to see is, first of all, an acknowledgement from universities that they need to increase the amount of provision of student accommodation when they’re increasing student numbers in order to make sure that those students have got some way to live.

“But we also need to see your support from the Scottish Government as well.”

Ms Gomersall suggested action such as increasing support packages could help more students to access accommodation, pointing out that “often, the amount of student finance that a student receives is actually lower than their rent for the year”.

She added: “We know that if students have got more money in their pockets, and that rent is lower, that means that students will be able to find places to live more easily.”