Homelessness in Scotland highest for over a decade

As of March 31, 2024 there were 31,870 live applications, the highest ever recorded.

In total 33,619  households were assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness, once again the highest level since 2011-12. That included 15,474 children.

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The number of children in temporary accommodation is also the highest in the series, increasing to 10,110 from 9,595 (5%) between March 2023 and 2024.

Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said: “These figures show clearly that it is children in Scotland that are paying the highest price for politician’s failure to get a grip on the housing emergency; they should be a source of great national shame. 

“Once again Scotland has broken unwelcome records, and the sad fact is that’s becoming the norm whenever these statistics are published. It’s hard to escape the conclusion that we’re seeing homelessness by design; politicians know what needs to be done but have consistently failed to deliver. 

“Today is a grim reminder of the reality of Scotland’s housing emergency; more and more children losing their homes every day, getting stuck in the homelessness system, trapped in miserable temporary accommodation for ever increasing lengths of time."

There was a decrease in households becoming homeless from private rented tenancies.

There was a sharp drop in evictions after a Covid eviction ban was introduced, with a rise after that was lifted in May of 2021.

Cost of living legislation was introduced in October 2022, with another fall in the numbers of households becoming homeless from a private rented tenancy.

Aditi Jehangir, Chair of Living Rent said: "These figures highlight the failure of this government to tackle the housing emergency. Our social housing stock is not enough to provide for our needs and unaffordable rents in the private sector are forcing people out of their homes.

"The Covid and cost of living eviction bans show that we can reduce evictions from the private sector, but now the Scottish government needs to go further. 

"Too many people are being forced out due to high rents or by landlords who break the rules. We need strong rent controls that bring down rents so that no one is made homeless due to unaffordable rents. And we need stronger protections against eviction and greater support to stay put.

"Housing should be a right not a luxury. The Scottish government has it within its powers to fund social housing associations and local authorities to build more social homes and encourage stock buyback to help end homelessness."

Living Rent (Image: PA)

The average length of time to close a homelessness case was 278 days for cases that closed in 2023-24. This is 11 days longer compared to 2022-23.

The number of households reporting rough sleeping the night before application has increased from 1,493 to 1,916 and in the three months prior from 2,425 to 2,931.

58% of main applicants were male, the highest proportion since 2020-21, and 79% of main applications came from people of a white ethnicity, the lowest proportion in the time series despite white people making up 93% of the population.

For ethnicities not considered white, numbers have increased across all categories by a third or more, with the exception of Caribbean/black.

White Scottish and White Irish are the only ethnicities with a numerical decrease since 2019-20.

A total 1,165 older people made a homeless application, as did 788 households with a household member who was previously part of the armed forces.

However, it's younger people who are most likely to become homeless, with 31% of homeless households aged between 25 and 34 and 19% between 18 and 24, age groups which make up 15% and 10% of the population respectively.

For older people (aged 65+) the most common support need is a medical condition or physical disability, while for young people it's basic housing or living skills.

Drug or alcohol dependency as a support need for homelessness was most common in the 35-49 age group.

Callum Chomczuk, national director of CIH Scotland said: “The figures published today reveal a worrying escalation of Scotland's housing emergency: homelessness is rising, homelessness due to violent or abusive dispute is rising, evictions due to rent arrears in the social sector are at a worrying level and the crucially the new supply of affordable homes is falling.

“We need decisive leadership from the UK and the Scottish Government which must include defining a new path to achieving the 2032 target of 110,000 affordable homes, and a commitment to scaling up and front-loading social housing investment in this parliamentary term. We need all political parties to work together to address the housing emergency, provide the long-term funding for building and make this the political priority." 

The Scottish Government declared a national housing emergency earlier this year, having cut close to £200m from housebuilding in the latest budget.

The government also released its quarterly housing statistics for up to the end of June 2024.

(Image: Newsquest)

There was a 17% decrease in all sector housebuilding starts and completions between 2023 and 2024.

There were 19,293 homes built and 15,296 new builds started, with 14,240 private sector homes build and 5,053 in the social sector.

Excluding 2020, when housebuilding was affected by Covid, new houses built were at their lowest since June 2018 and the number of new builds started the lowest since 2013.

The Scottish Government is aiming to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% for social rent and 10% in rural and island communities.

The number of affordable homes built was down 14% in the latest figures, with 10% fewer started.

However, approvals increased by 15% (+906) between 2023 and 2024.

Aoife Deery, Citizens Advice Scotland senior policy officer said: "These datasets go hand in hand and give us a clear picture into the continued and unacceptable housing pressures Scotland faces. Action is needed urgently if we’re going to see improvements in Scotland’s housing sector. We know that far too many people are experiencing real harm right now.

“Many local councils are struggling and need better assistance, while the social housebuilding budget needs to be put back on track.

“We were extremely disappointed to see the housing budget cut earlier in the year, especially as the number of homeless applications continues to increase.

“The changes needed to properly tackle the housing emergency need increased collaboration between local authorities and the Scottish Government, backed up by significant multi-year funding. In a just and compassionate Scotland, everyone should have a safe, secure and affordable home.”

SFHA Chief Executive Sally Thomas said: “Today’s housing and homelessness figures underline that the collapse in housebuilding has devastating consequences.

“Repeated Scottish Government cuts to the affordable housing budget have made it ever more difficult for housing associations to deliver the safe, warm, affordable homes that everyone deserves as a basic human right.

“We’ve seen some recognition from Scottish Government that this is an emergency, so ahead of the Scottish budget we need to see radical action to match that and to invest in our social homes. This is a dire situation, but there is time to turn things around if we act with purpose.”

Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “These figures are deeply concerning and I know the lack of a settled home seriously affects people’s health and life chances.

"They demonstrate the scale of the challenge we face in tackling the housing emergency and I am determined to work with partners to reverse this trend."

In July The Herald launched a seven-point charter for change to help end Scotland's housing emergency including a call to change the law so thousands of Scots found to be at risk of homelessness every year get support earlier to stay in their homes.

The Charter for Change includes a call for the required funds to urgently increase the building of affordable homes so people can move more rapidly out of homelessness and into settled accommodation.

Put together in collaboration with a range of key groups including professional standards body Chartered Institute for Housing, homelessness charity Crisis and national tenants' rights organisation Living Rent, it aims to cut the surge of people who are presenting as homeless across Scotland by getting the nation building the houses that are badly needed.

Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said: “These figures show the Scottish homelessness system is under more pressure than ever before, with the number of people forced into homelessness rising year on year on year. Councils are closing cases, but not as quickly as new applications are coming in – they’re working to end homelessness, but they’re not able to keep up with growing demand.

“Rising numbers of people sleeping on the streets, a record number of households trapped in temporary accommodation, and more than 15,000 children growing up without knowing the safety and security of a settled home.

“The Scottish Government has made tackling child poverty its number one priority, but this can’t be achieved without a stronger agenda on housing. It’s not right that, in modern-day Scotland, children are watching their parents heat up meals on radiators, because they are trapped in accommodation without access to cooking facilities.

“We know what causes homelessness and we know how to end it. The Herald’s Charter for Change sets out important solutions for doing that – by investing in social housing, providing homelessness services with the financial backing they need, and changing the law, to prevent people being forced into homelessness, we can build a Scotland where everyone has a safe, secure place to call home.”