ScotlandPeople in Scotland are being denied the right to a safe and secure home.
Shelter Scotland exists to defend that right.
We believe that home is everything, and we have an ambitious strategy to fight the devastating impact the housing emergency has on us all.
Finding a safe and affordable home in Scotland is further out of reach than ever.
There are year-on-year record levels of homelessness.
Housing rights are breached daily.
A generation of children are trapped in temporary accommodation.
Ingrained bias means that disabled people, Black people and People of Colour are disproportionately failed by the housing system.
This is Scotland's housing emergency.
10,360 children trapped in temporary accommodation
15% fall in building of social homes
43 children become homeless every day
99,000 households trapped waiting for a social home
The solution to this emergency is obvious:
build more social homes
strengthen housing rights in law so that they cannot be denied
Our campaigning has brought Scotland’s housing emergency to the centre of the nation’s political debate.
In 2024, the Scottish Government, along with 13 local authorities, declared that Scotland is in a housing emergency. At the UK general election, parties agreed and placed housing rights and social housing supply at the heart of their manifestos
Now we must build on that success to secure real, long-lasting and irreversible change.
We cannot make change happen without the generosity of our supporters, the tenacity of our clients, the activism of our campaigners and the devotion of our teams.
We cannot afford to fail.
To meet this goal we’ll work with:
those most affected by the shortage of homes, to improve their access to social housing
organisations who support minoritised groups underrepresented in social housing
partners to publish research into the social value of social housing
the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership to bring empty homes into use
To meet this goal we’ll:
act on community priorities in each of the 4 cities where we're based
target strategic litigation to make it harder for housing providers to break the law
develop our telephone and web chat service into a homelessness prevention service for those in crisis
develop our website and digital services into a housing rights education resource, equipping people with the tools to become housing rights advocates
co-produce a Scottish Parliament manifesto for a fair housing system based on the protection and enhancement of housing rights
To meet this goal we’ll:
mobilise supporters in every constituency to make their voices heard in upcoming elections
give our supporters more opportunities to campaign and fundraise for social housing and housing rights
host the Scottish Housing Anti-Racism Network to advocate that every housing provider adopts their own anti-racism approach
work with partners to challenge racism and the anti-immigrant rhetoric that blames the housing emergency on immigrants or asylum seekers
people experiencing homelessness are treated with dignity and have their rights enforced without intervention
public bodies adopt anti-racist and non-discriminatory policies
UN Human Right to a Home is enforceable in Scots law
net number of homes for social rent is increasing year on year
our supporters understand the causes of the housing emergency and the solutions
number of children in temporary accommodation is reduced by 25%
more people can choose a social home
renting costs are reduced
housing security is increased for all communities including marginalised groups
homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring
people experiencing homelessness are treated fairly, quickly, and equally at all steps
the housing system incentivises houses and flats as homes, not commodities
For more information about our 2025-29 strategy, you can:
For further information about our plans, you can:
Our partners make change happen. With thanks to:
the Royal Foundation Homewards programme
the National Housing Emergency coalition
Public Health Scotland
HACT (Housing Association Charitable Trust)
CIH (Chartered Institute of Housing) Scotland
the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations
Scottish Empty Homes Partnership
Scottish Housing Anti-Racism Network
*Statistics accurate as of March 2025