Number of homeless households in Scotland hits 12-year high

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

The number of homeless households in Scotland has hit a 12-year high as a widening housing crisis across the UK leaves record numbers in insecure accommodation.

More than a thousand extra households were assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness in the year ending March 2024. The total reached more than 33,600 — an increase of 3 per cent on the previous year — according to official data.

The households comprised more than 38,000 adults and almost 15,500 children, the figures released by the Scottish government on Tuesday showed.

Someone is seen as threatened with homelessness if they are likely to lack reasonable accommodation within two months.

The statistics come amid a nationwide housing crisis. The number of households in temporary accommodation in England exceeded 117,000 in the first quarter of 2024, a rise of 12 per cent on the previous year and the highest level since records began in 1998

The number of people in England assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness in the year ending March 2024 was almost 318,000 — a rise of 6.4 per cent compared with the previous year.

“These figures show the Scottish homelessness system is under more pressure than ever before,” said Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, a homelessness charity.

“Rising numbers of people sleeping on the streets, a record number of households trapped in temporary accommodation, and now more than 15,000 children growing up without knowing the safety and security of a settled home,” he added.

The rise in homelessness will pile further pressure on to the Scottish National party government, which was drubbed in the July general election and is focusing on delivery to block Labour’s march ahead of Holyrood elections in May 2026.

In Scotland, there were 10,110 children in temporary accommodation last year, up 5 per cent on the previous year, the data showed.

The data also showed a 28 per cent increase in rough sleeping on last year, with more than 1,900 applications to councils showing that one household member had slept rough the night before. Downie said councils were working to end homelessness but were not able to keep up with growing demand.

Scottish Labour accused the SNP government of allowing the housing crisis to “engulf” Scotland.

“These shameful figures are a damning indictment of the SNP’s record in government,” said Mark Griffin, Labour’s housing spokesperson. “Instead of dealing with the housing emergency taking grip in Scotland, the SNP fanned its flames by slashing the affordable housing budget and letting housebuilding plummet.”

Housing minister Paul McLennan said the figures were “deeply concerning” and acknowledged that “the lack of a settled home seriously affects people’s health and life chances”.

McLennan added that the government had a “strong track record” in delivering affordable homes, with more than 133,000 homes completed since 2007, including more than 94,000 social rented homes. There would be total investment of almost £600mn in affordable housing this year, he added.

Separate housing statistics released on Tuesday showed a 17 per cent decrease in the number of new starts and completed housebuilding in the year ending June 2024.

Excluding 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic effected housebuilding, completions were their lowest since 2018 and starts the lowest since 2013 in both the social and private sectors.