Scotland housing and homelessness statistics

Homeless children in Scotland

In the year to September 2025, there were 14,371 children assessed as homeless.

This is the equivalent of 39 children in Scotland becoming homeless every day.

To prevent homelessness, we must fundamentally tackle Scotland’s housing emergency and fix the broken and biased housing system.

Read our strategy to find out how we’ll do this.

Data source: Scottish Government - Homelessness in Scotland: update to September 2025

Temporary accommodation

People have the right to temporary accommodation while the local authority makes a decision on their homeless application, and, if they're unintentionally homeless, until permanent accommodation is found.

On 30th September 2025, there were 18,092 households trapped in temporary accommodation - a 9% increase on the previous year. This is the highest number on record.

10,567 households were living in temporary accommodation on 31st March 2015. Numbers rose steadily to 11,665 households in March 2020. During the pandemic figures increased sharply, to 14,151 households by 30th September 2020. There was a slight decrease by 2022, but since then the figure has sharply increased each year.

Households in temporary accommodation in Scotland, 30th September 2015 to 30th September 2025

Data source: Scottish Government - Homelessness in Scotland: update to September 2025

Children in temporary accommodation

The latest statistics show that on 31st March 2025 there were 10,180 children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland.

At the current rate of progress it would take over 28 years to reduce the number of children in temporary accommodation to 0.

This graph shows the trend of children in temporary accommodation in Scotland over time, from 2015 to 2025.

Data source: Scottish Government - Homelessness in Scotland: update to September 2025

Households with children tend to spend longer in temporary accommodation than households without children.

In 2024/25, a couple in Scotland with children spent on average 386 days in temporary accommodation, compared to an average of 238 days for all household types.

The lack of affordable social homes in Scotland means there are not enough homes for people to move on from temporary accommodation. In particular, the lack of larger social homes means that households with children are stuck in temporary accommodation for longer.

The most effective way to address the bottleneck in temporary accommodation is to deliver the social homes we need, of the right types and in the right places. This should be a priority for the Scottish Government and local authorities.

Gatekeeping and unsuitable accommodation

We know that some people are not offered temporary accommodation when they are legally entitled to it, an experience known as ‘gatekeeping’. We also know that when temporary accommodation is offered, it is often legally unsuitable.

In 2024/25 there were at least 16,485 instances when a local authority did not offer a household temporary accommodation when they had the right to it. This is an increase of 107% - more than double compared to 2023/24.

There were 7,850 reported cases of households being placed in temporary accommodation which was deemed by law to be unsuitable. This shows a 6% increase in the number of breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order compared to 2023/24. The Scottish Government has said that reporting on this issue is unreliable and this figure is likely to be an undercount.

This is unacceptable. People must be able to access their rights to temporary accommodation. This means that accommodation is made available when it's needed, that it meets the needs of the household and that it is of sufficiently good quality.

Local authorities must, at a bare minimum, deliver their statutory duties regarding temporary accommodation and be held to account for any breaches.

Data source: Scottish Government - Homelessness in Scotland: update to September 2025

Social housing

Scotland can achieve the structural change needed to end the housing emergency by ensuring everyone has a secure, warm, and safe home. This can only be done by delivering the social homes we need.

There are currently 110,000 households on local authority housing waiting lists across Scotland.

Data source: Scottish Government (2023) - Scottish Household Survey 2021

Scotland needs to build a minimum of 15,693 social homes every year of the next parliament to tackle homelessness.

Read our Housing Delivery Plan 2026 for more information.

Affordable housing supply

The Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) statistics give us information on the supply of homes for social rent, affordable rent and affordable home ownership.

Quarterly figures to the end of June 2025 suggest that social house building is slowing down.

During 2024/25, under the AHSP:

• 5,972 homes for social rent were completed - a 13% decrease (864 fewer homes) compared to 23/24, and the lowest number of completions since 2020/21

• 4,484 homes for social rent were started - a 14% decrease (978 fewer homes) compared to 23/24, and the lowest number of starts since 2014/15

• 4,171 homes for social rent were approved - a 16% decrease (791 fewer homes) compared to 23/24, and the lowest number of approvals since 2014/15

Home is everything. We will not give up until the Scottish Government fulfils its promises to deliver the social homes Scotland needs.

Data source: Scottish Government - Housing statistics annual update: new housebuilding and affordable housing supply 2024 to 2025 (Affordable Housing Supply Programme Summary Tables).

Quarterly update to AHSP statistics

Between 30th June and 30th September 2025:

• there were 1,117 homes for social rent approved under AHSP - this is a 54% increase compared to the same quarter in 2024

• there were 1,039 homes for social rent started under AHSP - this is a 24% increase compared to the same quarter in 2024

• there were 1,203 homes for social rent started under AHSP - this is a 7% decrease compared to the same quarter in 2024

Data source: Scottish Government - Housing statistics quarterly update: new housebuilding and affordable housing supply to end September 2025

The Scottish Government still needs to deliver 80,320 homes by 2032 to meet their target of building 110,000 homes under AHSP. It seems highly unlikely that they will reach this target.

Research on affordable housing published by Shelter Scotland shows that Scotland needs a minimum of 15,693 social homes a year just to stop homelessness rising.

The Scottish Government are not delivering the homes we need. They are not even delivering the homes they promised.

Last updated: 10 March 2026