Wednesday December 24th 2025
Edinburgh Council Headquarters Waverley Court.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
As revellers enjoyed the warm pub atmosphere and grabbing some last minute Christmas shopping across Edinburgh’s Old Town, a group of capital residents sat out in the cold in what was just a normal evening for them.
Nearly every night, a string of tents sit in place along a narrow ventilation grate under the awning of Waverley Court, the council’s headquarters building.
Among their residents is Mikey, 44, who says he has stayed there for more than two months now – though he’s been sleeping rough on and off for more than two decades.
“It’s a contrast, it’s quite cold here, but at the same time, at least it’s safe”, he said.
The ventilation grate did nothing to change the temperature, though he brought the illusion of warmth in through a battery powered candle outside the entrance to his tent.
Mikey said the setting – under the council headquarters and across the street from a pair of hotels – kept some, but not all, danger away.
The main concern he had was dealers who ‘don’t know how to take no for an answer’ – adding injected cocaine was becoming a major issue among people he knew.
Still, he kept his head on a swivel as he talked, eyeing a man walking up and down the other side of Market Street. He said he had more worries about violence at other sites.
Originally from the west coast, Mikey said a stint in prison had brought him to Edinburgh over two decades ago, with his time rough sleeping starting then.
Since 2013, he has been dealing with drug addiction, and said he is also on medication for mental health problems that had him hearing voices before his treatment started.
He was clear his drug situation was what caused him to be removed from council temporary housing a few months ago – but said the city was failing many others.
“When I first came here, it was actually a wee bit of a demonstration. They need to see what people are dealing with when they can’t get temporary accommodation.
“People don’t understand, this is what happens when you ban sleeping in kitchens and hallways.”
He is referring to the council’s decision to end its policy of using unlicensed HMOs to provide temporary accommodation, which started during covid as a stopgap measure.
The city has stepped away from it in order to avoid breaking the law – but despite freezing housing lets to add capacity, the council is still unable to house everyone who needs it.
Mikey added he felt the current housing freeze was impacting him – he said he had enough points to be moved into permanent housing, but that none was free.
“I’ve got enough points, so are most people that are bidding. I’ve got a housing first worker. I’ve got a support worker. I know it’s sh*t, but.”
Fighting Edinburgh’s crisis on housing and rough sleeping has been a major focus of council leader and Labour councillor Jane Meagher.
In a recent press briefing, she said she was confident the capital would meet ambitious targets it had set to eradicate poverty by 2030.
At that same Thursday council meeting, she became visibly emotional when describing the depths of the poverty and destitution faced by some of Edinburgh’s residents.
But Mikey felt the council leader was not doing enough, saying: “It’s ridiculous. She has her warm bed and a nice warm dinner. It’s all crocodile tears.”
Outside her role as council leader, Cllr Meagher volunteers in supporting homeless people in the capital.
Meagher was pressed on her role in the unlicensed HMO situation during her time as housing convener at the council meeting.
She responded that the steps the council had taken were necessary to stop a crisis, and many other large local authorities had made the same decision.
As Mikey began closing up his tent for the night, he expressed hope that future generations would not need to worry about rough sleeping.
And he implored young people: “Here in Edinburgh, don’t get yourself involved in this. Listen to your folks.”
Housing convener and Labour councillor Tim Pogson said: “I’m deeply concerned about anyone who is rough sleeping, particularly during the cold winter months.
“Our street-based outreach teams regularly engage with rough sleepers, including those outside Waverley Court, to provide support and advice around housing and welfare.
“These are often highly complex situations, but our teams will always seek to engage with individuals and work to find solutions.”
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