MORE than 500 people are homeless or face being made homeless in South Ayrshire.

In 2016 there were 1476 housing option interviews, with roughly 800 of those cases referred to seAscape - a charity which deals directly with the problem of homelessness.

SeAscape, which provides help to people across South Ayrshire, want to raise awareness about the problem, which includes ‘sofa surfing’ as well as sleeping rough, as an issue bombarding the various towns and villages.

The Ayr-based charity, situated on Barns Street, was established in 1999 as a homeless person’s charity in a bid to help those who have a problem paying their rent.

They found many people could afford to pay rent but could not manage to pay a deposit on top of that.

Niven Rennie, Chief Executive Officer for seAscape, said: “We have since grown into a large organisation with 40 volunteers and staff. We still run a befriending service.

“There are 500 individuals in South Ayrshire who are homeless or are on the verge of being homeless. They need to have the right support. Many have mental health issues and an underlying social problem.”

Mr Rennie highlighted the various problems that cause many to fall into this trap including relationship breakdowns with parents or a partner, unemployment and addiction.

He continued: “South Ayrshire have some really deprived areas. People are not just sleeping rough they can ‘sofa surf’ too. Overcrowding in homes is also a problem. 

“People have no sense of ownership or security.”

The number of referrals is expected to increase in the next year. 

SeAscape are holding a homeless conference in Ayr Town Hall on Wednesday, February 1 in a bid to bring together interested parties to discuss issues aced by public sector and third sector agencies working with people who are homeless or are faced with homelessness in South Ayrshire. 

They want to formulate a joint agenda to bring about sustainable improvement in our communities.