Almost 1,700 children were homeless across Tayside and Fife last Christmas, it has been revealed.
Figures uncovered by the Scottish Liberal Democrats through freedom of information requests show that 1,690 youngsters were registered as not having a home while many of their peers were waking up to presents from Santa.
Nationwide, there were 11,200 children were registered as homeless, a rise of 16% compared to two years earlier. Locally, 255 were in Angus, 335 in Dundee, 785 in Fife and 315 in Perth and Kinross.
Caron Lindsay, the Lib Dem housing spokesperson, said: “It is absolutely heart-breaking to learn that more than 11,000 children were homeless last Christmas.
“It is intolerable that the number of families without a permanent roof over their head continues to rise.
“Across the last three Christmas’, 100,000 people were homeless, almost a third of them children.
“We judge the strength of a society by how it looks out for its most vulnerable. These figures are a stain on the national conscience.
“The Scottish Government has failed the children and families who don’t have stable warm home at Christmas.”
The number of adults registered as homeless on December 25, 2015, was 3,735 across Tayside and Fife, with 26,320 either sleeping rough or living in temporary accommodation across Scotland. That is an increase of 8% on two years ago.
Kevin Stewart, the Scottish Government’s housing minister, said: “We are proud that Scotland’s legislation and preventative approach means that everyone has a right to a home and we provide temporary accommodation for everyone while they wait for appropriate permanent accommodation.
“The majority of this family accommodation is in social housing and so is of the same quality as permanent accommodation.
“Progress is being made on overall homelessness with a 6% decrease in the number of households assessed as homeless, continuing the downward trend of recent years; we are also working with local authorities and other partners to prevent homelessness wherever possible. ”