HOUSING CRISIS: Ross-shire woman allegedly told she would have a better chance of getting a home if she was pregnant
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A woman claims she was told by a council housing officer she would have a better chance of getting a local authority home if she was pregnant or her grandmother threw her out on the street.
Sarah Kennedy (27), from Evanton, has been on the Highland Council waiting list for over four years, and said she was "shocked" at the advice she claims she was given by an officer recently.
“I was basically told that my chances of getting housing would be greater if I got pregnant," she said.
“I was in complete shock. I don’t understand why that would be an acceptable thing to say, and it is not a reason to have a baby.”
There are currently just under 9000 people waiting for suitable accommodation in the Highlands, with 6427 on the Highland Housing Register (HHR) and 2572 looking for a transfer to a more suitable property.
For Ms Kennedy the option of renting privately is "completely unaffordable", with availability also seriously limited.
At the moment of writing property website Rightmove showed just two homes available to rent privately across the whole of Ross-shire.
“I look at private rents but there is absolutely nothing," Ms Kenndey said, her personal experience matching that of many other frustrated would-be renters.
“You need two incomes to be able to rent privately,” she said.
Ms Kennedy currently lives with her grandmother and says the same housing officer who made the remark about pregnancy also told her she could be declared homeless if she was thrown out of there, thereby also increasing her chances of getting her own home.
She said: "The whole situation just seems ridiculous and there is very little chance of anyone in my local area getting a home from the Highland Council.”
In April, Highland Council announced its aim to build 3300 new affordable homes by 2028.
Talking about the draft local housing strategy, the council’s housing committee chairwoman Glynis Campbell Sinclair said: “Demand to live and develop business opportunities across the Highlands is at a record high, yet access to affordable housing can be a stumbling block for those wishing to take up employment, study or to remain in the area. Over the next five years, the Highland Council, alongside its partners, will continue to work to build a portfolio of affordable housing stock."
A spokesperson for Highland Council said it could not comment on individual clients or personnel.
They added: "The 2022-2023 annual allocations report confirms the level of housing demand in Highland for social housing and the efforts being made by the council and the housing associations in Highland to assist applicants with meeting their housing needs.
"The allocations policy has been recently reviewed and approved at April housing and property committee. The objectives of the policy continue to be that applicants in greatest housing need will continue to be prioritised for social housing in Highland.”
