Recently, it is coming to know that a lot of homeless people have been moved from Edinburgh for the Taylor Swift concert. The artist is going to perform at the Edinburgh city in a few days and there isn’t much room for the tourists. To watch the concert, a lot of people are visiting Edinburgh in this brief time. the city is facing a lot of problems in giving accommodation to the tourists. According to Shelter Scotland, it is coming to know that a lot of homeless people have been sent to places like Glasgow and Aberdeen via taxi. Some of them were also offered temporary accommodation even far from Newcastle.
It is quite an absurd thing and no one has ever seen something like this. Previously, in no places homeless were moved from one place to another for tourists. And that is why, the housing charity has said it is just ‘a blatant injustice’. The homeless people are ‘in direct competition’ with all the tourists. It is quite a rare thing that is coming to be seen right now. And this is causing a few problems for everyone. The Edinburgh City Council has said that they are looking for households that are ‘appropriate, alternative accommodation’. The number of tourists is enormous and that is why, the city council is facing such problems.
From 7th to 9th June, Taylor will be performing at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. And thousands of her fans are flying to Edinburgh to attend his concert. Therefore, it is obvious that the city will fall short of accommodation. The country is now facing a housing emergency, said the Shelter Scotland director, Alison Watson. She has stated ‘In Edinburgh that emergency now places people experiencing homelessness in direct competition with tourists; a blatant injustice’. She has also said ‘Our frontline services are already seeing people in need of a bed tonight being told their only option is to leave of the city. A family going through the trauma of homelessness in Edinburgh should not have to move miles from their job, school, and community to find emergency accommodation’.
The Scottish government needs to necessary steps before the concert. Jane Meagher, the housing convenor Councillor has stated a few words, that say ‘It is a symptom of the housing emergency we face in Edinburgh that at times we must use tourist accommodation to house homeless households’. She has also said ‘We know it won’t be available year-round, particularly over the busy summer months, so we use it reluctantly as a last resort.We’re aware of the situation and are working with the affected households to find appropriate, alternative accommodation’.
Amid all this situation, a 20-year-old boy, named Alexander has said a few things. He has been homeless for the last four months. Currently, he is temporarily living in a hotel. However, he needs to leave the hotel on Friday for the accommodation for tourists. He has said ‘It’s going to be near impossible to get accommodation because everything is booked or they’ve upped their prices’.
