HOUSING CRISIS: Highland woman allegedly told she would have a better chance of getting a home if she was pregnant

“I was told I’d have a better chance of getting a council house if I got pregnant.”

This is what 27-year-old Sarah Kennedy claims she was told as she awaits a home from Highland Council.

The local authority is cautious about looking into what it describes as unsubstantiated claims, adding it cannot comment on individual clients or personnel without more specific information.

Ms Kennedy, from Evanton, has been on the council waiting list for over four years and was ‘shocked’ at the alleged advice given to her over the phone to help her chances of receiving a home.

Speaking about the situation, Ms Kennedy said: “I was basically told that my chances of getting housing would be greater if I got pregnant.

“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.”

It comes as the depth of the Highland housing crisis continues to emerge.

As the rental market in the area is experiencing unprecedented supply and demand issues with record-low numbers of properties available, figures show that homeless applications made in the Highlands have gone up by 21 per cent in the last year – as highlighted by The Inverness Courier in recent weeks.

At the moment there are just under 9000 people waiting for suitable accommodation with an overall total of 6427 on the Highland Housing Register (HHR) and 2572 on the transfer list.

For Ms Kennedy the option of renting from a private landlord is ‘completely unaffordable’ and houses are few and far between.

At the time of writing, there are just two homes to rent privately in Ross-shire and 12 in Inverness, according to property website Rightmove.

“I look at private rents but there is absolutely nothing,” she said. “Also the ones that are available are completely unaffordable and I would just be left with £50-a-month with all the bills that need to be paid.

“You need two incomes to be able to rent privately.”

Ms Kennedy currently lives with her grandmother in Evanton, and also claimed she was told that if her grandmother threw her out, she could be declared as ‘homeless’ and this would also increase her chances of getting somewhere to live.

She said: “My grandmother is not going to throw me out. 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.”

The number of social housing units in the Highlands dropped from 533 new starts in 2019 to 212 in 2022. A total of 363 completions were recorded for the Highlands in 2022, a rise of around 18 per cent when compared to 2019 (307).

Homes for Scotland (HFS) chief executive Jane Wood said: “As we have been warning over the past six months, the continuing downward trend in the number of new homes started across all sectors is of great concern.”

In April, the council announced the aim to build 3300 affordable homes between 2023 and 2028.

Talking about the draft local housing strategy, the council’s housing and property committee chairwoman and Inverness Provost Glynis Campbell Sinclair said: “The council and the new strategy 2023-2028 are ambitious and proactive in their thinking on how to deliver new homes, invest in existing properties and how to support households in all communities to access the housing solutions to best meet their needs.”

A council spokeswoman pointed to a report from August last year which stated: “The annual report indicates that demand for social housing remains high and, in many areas, the available housing available for let cannot meet demand. This continues to place additional pressure on the many households living in accommodation that does not meet their current needs. This is considered to be due to a shortage of available housing rather than any issues with the operation of the allocations policy itself.

“Overall, the HHR is still performing well in meeting housing need and continues to play an important role in supporting good health, strong communities, and local economies.”

She 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’s 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.”