Working flat out to tackle the scourge of homelessness

As I embark on a new role as Edinburgh's Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, I'm all too aware of the severe pressures facing the city.

- Tim Pogson, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener

We're now two years on from declaring a housing emergency in the Capital and demand for safe, comfortable homes is as high as ever. Edinburgh has the lowest amount of social housing per head of population in Scotland with only 14 per cent social housing compared to a national average of 23 per cent.

Here, 80,000 residents live in relative poverty, including one in five children. There are around 6000 homeless households in Edinburgh being supported in temporary accommodation - approximately 11,500 individuals.