"Staying here is degrading, it’s like being in the gutter" - Young homeless people’s views presented to Jackie Baillie MSP

A report based on the views of young homeless people on the services they use will be presented to Deputy Minister for Communities and Homelessness Task Force chair Jackie Baillie, 10.15am today at Victoria Quay. The report, published by the Scottish Youth Housing Network, describes both how services fail and how they can be effective.

The young people in the report express strong views on the continued use of Bed and Breakfast and traditional hostels to accommodate them. They highlight the huge difference the attitude of professional workers can make to them. And they describe the severe lack of opportunity they have had to comment on or get involved in the way services are provided.

On traditional type hostels and night shelters young people say: "there is a fear of coming to places like this, its full of old guys. Because you’re frightened you stay on the streets", " staying here is degrading, its like being in the gutter", and on Bed and Breakfast "it was bloody crap, terrible furniture, food terrible and lots of rules".

The professional workers providing services could be "very nice, polite and helpful and supportive", but for others, "they treat you like dirt", "they didn’t tell us anything worth hearing, said it was our ain fault".

Nearly half the young people surveyed had never been consulted about the services they use, "nobody asks our views about nothin" , and others explain how, "you can complain about staff attitudes and things change for a while and then they go back to normal", and "we discussed the rules but it didn’t change anything".

Speaking on behalf of the Network, John Dickie of Scottish Council for Single Homeless, says "Too often the voice of young people is not heard when planning, developing and managing services supposedly aimed at meeting their needs. This survey highlights the strong messages young people who have experienced homelessness have for us. The challenge is now to listen to these views and act on them, working alongside young people to ensure services are provided that prevent and tackle the scandal that is youth homelessness."

The researchers make a series of recommendations including:

• local authorities to stop using traditional style hostel and B&B as temporary accommodation for young people. The research suggested young people were positive about supported accommodation specifically for young people, and particularly liked supported lodging schemes.
• service providers to develop ways of consulting young people about their experiences of homelessness and housing and support services.
• service providers to tackle (through, for example, training) negative attitudes held toward young people by some staff.