Shelter Scotland warns of ‘lost parliament’ as 26% more children wake up in temporary accommodation

Shelter Scotland has warned of a ‘lost parliament’ for the 10,480 children who are waking up without somewhere to call home.

Scottish Government statistics published today show that over the course of the 2021 to 2026 Parliament, rough sleeping has more than doubled, overall homelessness has gone up nearly 20%, and the number of children in temporary accommodation has gone up 26%, the highest level since numbers began.

The latest homelessness statistics are set against the backdrop of the lowest number of social housing starts reported at the end of 2025.

Three months out from the election, Shelter Scotland is warning that high levels of homelessness are becoming normalised. The charity is calling for new money and a new approach after decades of underinvestment in social housing across Scotland and the UK. The charity says that a failure to prioritise fixing Scotland’s broken and biased housing system will lead to rising homelessness and further cuts to local services unless the next Scottish Government act.

Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson said:

“Today’s figures show how high levels of homelessness are increasingly accepted as the new normal. Social housing delivery remains too little, too slow, too late for Scotland’s homeless children stuck in temporary accommodation.

“This hasn’t happened overnight. This is decades in the making. But despite promises, this has been a lost parliament for the 10,480 children without a home. Since 2021 we have seen the number of homeless applications/assessments rise by 18%, and the number of children in temporary accommodation soaring. These numbers - all representing real people, real families - are now increasingly accepted as a reality of Scotland in 2026.

“As we look towards the election, we cannot accept that this will continue. We cannot continue to accept the law being broken every single day - with people at the sharpest end bearing the costs. This is why we desperately and urgently need a new approach, and the new money to match it.

“We welcomed the intent behind the First Minister’s plan for a national housing agency last week. But intent alone won’t build homes. Without the funding to match the ambition, homelessness will only rise. And we need the new agency to deliver for the people waiting for a home.

“We must be clear about the cost of failure. Failing to build the social homes we need means more families waking up without a place to call home, more children trapped in temporary accommodation and in poverty, with rising costs for councils, health boards and the taxpayer. We can’t afford not to invest in Scotland’s future.”

ENDS