| Myth | Homeless people sleep in the street |
| Fact | Only a tiny proportion of homeless people are on the street. Most stay on friends' floors or with family, sometimes in precarious arrangements that can go wrong. The legislative definition incorporates people who are living in overcrowded accommodation which is endangering their health or otherwise living in accommodation which it is unreasonable for them to occupy. There may be significant overlap between people applying under the homelessness legislation and people on waiting lists for social housing; certainly the circumstances in which people are currently living could well be very similar, yet many people would assume these groups to be entirely different. |
| Myth | Homeless people are anti-social or otherwise undesirable |
| Fact | Only a tiny proportion of homeless people have lost their accommodation because of antisocial behaviour. The vast majority have lost their accommodation because their living arrangements with family or friends have broken down, or because there's been a dispute in the household. Many people become homeless after being discharged from the armed forces or from hospital. |
| Myth | People made homeless as a result of antisocial behaviour should not have any rights to social housing. |
| Fact | All people, regardless of their actions, need housing otherwise they will have to sleep in the streets. This includes people who behave in antisocial ways. The Scottish Government is commissioning research into the best ways of breaking the cycle of antisocial behaviour. Existing projects, such as Dundee Families Project, aimed at helping families with anti-social behaviour can be very effective. |
| Myth | Homeless people should be allocated any accommodation available and should be grateful for it. |
| Fact | If homeless people are allocated poor quality accommodation then they are more likely to become homeless again as they feel vulnerable and unsupported. No-one should have to live in poor quality accommodation in Scotland in the 21st century and this is why the Scottish Government is working with local authorities to ensure that housing meets acceptable quality levels. |
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