54% of people in Scotland live in areas with failing homelessness services, new figures reveal

More than 2.9 million people in Scotland (54 per cent) live in an area where the local authority does not have a fully functioning homelessness service, meaning they are not guaranteed access to their legal right to housing if they experience homelessness, analysis from Shelter Scotland shows.

The Scottish Housing Regulator has today said two local authorities in Scotland are experiencing ‘systemic failure’ and routinely breaking the law, while a further nine are at an imminent risk of failure.

This comes two days after Scottish Government figures showed that affordable homes completed under the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) in 2025 dropped by 25 per cent compared to 2024.

Shelter Scotland Director Alison Watson said:

“This is the reality of the housing emergency. We are not building the social homes we need, and the consequences are clear – more local authorities in failure and more people having their housing rights breached.

“As we look towards the election, we refuse to accept the law being broken every single day. Ending the housing emergency is a political choice. Whoever is in government next must offer a new approach, and the new money to match it.

“They must provide local authorities the resources to uphold people’s rights - otherwise, more money will be poured into temporary accommodation while more families are left without a home. We cannot stand by and let that happen. Change is only possible if people demand it.”  

ENDS