Homeless Dad's Nightmare Housing

0:00It's April 6th. This is Edinburgh News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. A 37-year-old dad in Edinburgh named Gareth ended up homeless after his long-term relationship fell apart, forcing him to sleep on the streets. Father of two young boys, he finally got offered temporary housing on the fourth floor of a building on Shenwick Place in the city center on Monday, March 30th. But when he walked in, the place was a nightmare-stained mattresses, moldy walls, ripped furniture, holes everywhere, and even a leaking pipe. The shared areas were worse, with urine bottles scattered around, a foul stench that made him sick, and nasty graffiti like swastikas in the sterile. Gareth, who works at ASDA, and deals with anxiety and depression, called it dehumanizing, and said he'd rather crash on a supermarket floor, or pitch a tin outside than stay there. It hit hard, because he needs stable spots to see his nine-year-old son every weekend and help with his 16-year-old who has extra needs.

1:02Now he's crashing at his brother's one-bed flat, while waiting for better options from the council. Officials say the building houses 43 people in 43 rooms. They've already cleaned the graffiti in his room that morning, and they're sending inspectors to check it out. Longer term, the council plans upgrades like new carpets, furniture, and paint this year. Unless they've pledged 1.6 billion pounds toward, better temporary spots and affordable home city-wide, aiming to fix these rough situations for good.