The facts: bad housing and homelessness for children in Scotland 2009

Children and young people in Scotland continue to live in run-down, overcrowded, damp housing or are stuck in temporary housing affecting all aspects of their current and future lives.

More than 90,000 children live in overcrowded homes – enough to fill Wembley, the second largest stadium in Europe.

One in ten children is living in fuel poverty in Scotland.

Two thirds of social housing which children live in has failed the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS).

There are 79,000 households with children living in them which have condensation in at least one room, putting these children at a higher risk of asthma and other respiratory problems.

Every day 60 children become homeless somewhere in Scotland. That is enough children to fill all secondary schools in Fife over a year.

Despite levels of homelessness remaining relatively static in the last 5 years there has been an 18% rise in the number of homeless families over the same period.

There has been a 27% rise in the number of households with children staying in temporary accommodation over the last three years.

We estimate that nearly 2,000 children in Scotland were in families evicted from social housing in 2007/08, usually for rent arrears.

Approximately 20 young people in every 1,000 young people in Scotland become homeless, nearly a fifth are aged 16-17.

Every child and young person has a right to a decent home, yet the stark reality is that too many children and young people are still growing up in poor housing.

Addressing bad housing and homelessness for children and young people is central to tackling child poverty and social inequalities in Scotland.

Shelter believes more investment is needed in affordable, high quality housing that is designed for young people and families with children, in areas they want to live, and that appropriate support is available to prevent homelessness reduce its impact on children and young people.