A mum from Edinburgh has spoken out of the ‘disgraceful’ conditions her and her son were placed in when she became homeless 10 years ago.
Stacey Grieve, 32 and son Archie, now seven, were moved around Edinburgh for nine years as the council relocated them in different temporary homes, forcing them to uproot their lives each time.
Finally, after so many desperate years and support from Shelter Scotland, Stacey received the news she was being offered a permanent council house – and finally somewhere to call home.
However, the memories of the filthy conditions and fear of having to move at short notice still lingers for this young family.
Stacey and Archie
Stacey told Shelter Scotland: “We were in temporary accommodation for nine years and then in November 2023, we finally got this place.
Stacey said: “Some of the conditions were disgraceful, you wouldn’t want to put anyone in there.
“It was disgusting. In one place there was urine on the carpet. Archie was crawling, he was just learning to walk.
“We had to go out and purchase carpets, new beds, new couches and things like that. We couldn’t bring the furniture from the other house to the new one because we couldn’t get a van and stuff like that. So, every house we moved out of we’ve had to leave furniture and then start from scratch.”
This comes as a damning report by Shelter Scotland found that children are being harmed by a homelessness system that is supposed to help. Children spoke of witnessing violence, vermin, isolation, ill health and financial penalties simply because their family could not find a home without the help of the local authority.
The report, titled In Their Own Words: Children’s Experience in Temporary Accommodation, found the ‘repeated loss of belongings not only disrupted participants’ daily lives but also deepened their sense of instability and diminished their ability to feel settled or secure.’
Thinking back to his time growing up in the homeless system, seven-year-old Archie, said: “It was sad. I had to leave my toys behind and my bed behind. My desk bed, it was a very high bed and had storage under the stairs. It was my favourite and now I don’t have it.”
Families in the homeless system are spending on average 234 days in temporary accommodation, with Edinburgh households spending an average of 546 days in temporary accommodation.
Stacey and Archie were finally placed in a council house in November 2023. However, the mum-of-one said there has been a lasting impact on her son.
She said: “It breaks my heart Archie had to grow up so unsettled. One minute you’re here, the next minute you’re there, then he always says at night time, ‘Mum, are you going to be there when I wake up?’ And I reply, ‘yes, and I’m here not going anywhere’.
“There’s times where he’s had to go to my mum’s or to his other nanny’s, because of the situations and fighting for a home,” Stacey explained.
“It’s been horrible. The council made me feel hopeless and worthless. I just want change for people. No one should have to go through this.“
Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said:
“The findings of this research should shame us all. We, as a nation are failing those children trapped in our broken and biased homelessness system. Every child in Scotland has the right to grow up in a safe, secure and affordable home. Experiencing homelessness as a child should not be traumatic and filled with worry but it seems that for the 10,360 who will wake up tomorrow without a home, their problems feel never ending.
“Temporary accommodation forms an important part of people’s rights. Everyone experiencing homelessness should be given access to temporary housing while they await the outcome of their application. It should act as a safety net and a first step out of crisis, rather than causing a new crisis in itself. What has become clear from this research is that for children, unfortunately, their experience is all too often the latter.
“This research shows clearly that it is now more important than ever that all levels of government need to tackle the housing emergency and protect thousands of Scotland’s children from further harm.
“Children have bravely shared their experiences. Their stories don’t just demand to be heard — they demand urgent action.
“This is our wakeup call.”