Homelessness in Scotland

Too many people in Scotland are becoming homeless because of the housing emergency.

Every 16 minutes a household becomes homeless in Scotland.

Homeless applications

In the year 2023/24 there were 40,685 homeless applications made to local authorities. Of these, 33,619 households were assessed as being homeless or threatened with homelessness.

The number of households that became homeless this year rose by 4% compared to the year before. 

In 2023/24 there were 15,474 children in households that were assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness. This is the equivalent to 43 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. See our strategy to find out how we plan to achieve this.

Graph source: Homelessness in Scotland: 2023 to 2024 (www.gov.scot)

Temporary accommodation

People have the right to be housed in temporary accommodation while the local authority is making a decision on their homeless application, and until permanent accommodation is found if they are 'unintentionally' homeless.

The latest government statistics show that on 30th September 2024 there were 16,634 households trapped in temporary accommodation.

The number of households in temporary accommodation in Scotland has risen sharply over the last few years and is now 57% higher than on 30th March 2015.

This graph shows the trend of households in temporary accommodation in Scotland over time, from 2014 to 2024.

On 30 September 2014 there were 10,319 households living in temporary accommodation. This rose steadily to 11,665 households in March 2020. During the pandemic there was a sharp increase to 14,151 households on 30 September 2020. This number then decreased slightly, but the most recent statistics show that the number of households in temporary accommodation is at the highest on record.

Children in temporary accommodation

There are also increasing numbers of children stuck in temporary accommodation.

The latest statistics show that on 30th September 2024 there were 10,360 children in Scotland living in temporary accommodation, an increase of 5% compared to September 2023.

Graph source: Homelessness in Scotland: update to September 2024 (www.gov.scot)

The graph shows the number of children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland over time, from September 2014 to September 2024. On 30th September 2014 there were 4,546 children in temporary accommodation. Despite a slight decrease in 2021 after the height of the pandemic, the number of children living in temporary accommodation has continued to rise. It is now the highest on record, with 10,360 children living in temporary accommodation in September 2024. 

Households with children tend to spend longer in temporary accommodation than households without children. In 2023/24, a couple in Scotland with children spent on average 375 days in temporary accommodation, whereas the average length of stay for all household types was 226 days.

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 long periods.

The most effective way to address the bottleneck in temporary accommodation is to deliver the social homes required, 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

From both our advice services and official statistics, we know that:

• some people are not offered temporary accommodation when they are legally entitled to it, an experience known as ‘gatekeeping’. Between 1st April and 30th September 2024, there were 7,545 instances of failure to offer a place to a household requiring temporary accommodation. This an increase of 277% in just 6 months or 3.8 x higher

• in the year 2023/24 there were 7,400 reported breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order (households being placed in temporary accommodation which was deemed by law to be 'unsuitable').

This is unacceptable. People should be able to realise their rights to temporary accommodation. This means that accommodation is made available when required, 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.

Graph source: Homelessness in Scotland: update to September 2024 (www.gov.scot)

Social housing supply

Only by delivering the social homes required can Scotland achieve the structural change needed to end the housing emergency by ensuring everyone has a secure, warm, and safe home.

The Scottish Government has committed to deliver 110,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years, at least 77,000 (70%) of which will be homes for social rent. By delivering a minimum of 38,500 social homes over the next five years where they are needed most, we can begin to reduce affordable housing need.

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

Source: Scottish Government (2023) Scottish Household Survey 2021

Affordable housing supply

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

We use these statistics to see if the social homes needed are being delivered.

During the year 2024/25, under the Affordable Housing Supply Programme:

• 5,972 homes for social rent were completed - a 13% decrease (864 fewer homes) compared to 23/24. This is 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. This is 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. This is 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.

Source: Scottish Government: Housing statistics for Scotland quarterly update - June 2025