Hundreds of deaths among people who were homeless have been recorded in Scotland.
Almost 250 died while homeless in Scotland last year, a rise of nearly 100 since the in the six years since the statistics were first compiled.
According to the latest figures, 242 deaths among homeless people were recorded in 2023, an increase of 78 on 2017.
However, the total number of mortalities was a slight fall from the 244 recorded in 2022. Dozens of deaths were linked to drug abuse.
According to the figures released by National Records of Scotland (NRS), 79 per cent of those who died while homeless were male, and 21% were female. The figures show that 19 of those who died were aged over 65.
The number who died from drug misuse deaths whilst experiencing homelessness increased from 89 to 100. Drug misuse accounted for nearly half - 41% - of all estimated deaths while homeless last year.
"Homeless deaths are at a higher level now compared to the 164 deaths in 2017, when these statistics were first collected.
“Half of homeless deaths in 2023 were people aged under 45, with the most common age group for both female and male deaths being 35 to 44.”
More than half - 56% - of homeless deaths were classed as "external causes", which includes most drug misuse deaths, accidents, suicide, and assault.
These figures define 'homeless' as people in temporary accommodation such as flats, houses, hotels and B&Bs, as well as those who were experiencing street homelessness at the time of their death.
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Debbie Horne, Scotland Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Independent Age, a charity which supports older people facing financial hardship, said: “It is a social injustice and a human tragedy that the estimated number of older people who died while homeless in 2023 has risen to 19.
“Every person’s death while homeless highlights that more must be done to make sure that no older person is faced with homelessness in the first place.”
She urged people to support the Housing (Scotland) Bill progress currently working its way through Holyrood as a way to cut deaths among the homeless.
She said: “The Bill provides much of what renters need to see, including homelessness prevention measures which will help address the housing crisis. Our research has shown that almost 1 in 6 older private renters are worried about being evicted in the next 12 months.
“Through the proposed duties in the Housing Bill, a greater focus on early intervention and resourcing homelessness can be tackled. The figures today show how vital this work is.”
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