Homelessness rises to highest level on record

The number of people classed as homeless in Scotland hit an all-time high last year, according to the latest figures.

There were 28,944 open homelessness cases in September 2022 – the highest since Scottish government records began in 2002.

The figures were an 11% rise on the previous year.

Housing Secretary Shona Robison said the statistics were unacceptable and concerning.

She said the Scottish government had commissioned an action plan to tackle the problem.

The Scottish Conservatives called the statistics “utterly disgraceful” and Labour said they were shameful figures that laidbare the reality of Scotland’s growing housing crisis.

Most of the people classified as homeless are not rough sleepers.

In fact, just 1,644 of Scotland’s 28,944 homelessness applicants reported rough-sleeping in 2022.

Instead, the majority reside in “temporary accommodation” – properties provided by councils to families as the local authorities process their homelessness application.

And that is where the pressure appears to be building, particular for families with children.

In September last year, there were 9,130 children living in temporary accommodation – a 31% rise in three years.

Or to put it another way – 2,155 more children were without a permanent home than in 2019.

More than half of them lived in Edinburgh and Glasgow. In the case of Edinburgh, the number of youngsters living in such properties has doubled in that period.

New applications to the system – where people are required to inform the local authorities in order to be rehoused – are rising to pre-pandemic levels and now stand at 19,066.

Open cases – or people who are in the system and classified as “homeless” – are at their highest level ever.

The clues as to why this might be are in the stats – the number of households being made homeless from private tenancies is creeping up above the numbers seen before Covid.

This is happening just as the number of homelessness cases being resolved by local authorities is falling.

Charities such as Shelter Scotland claim this is a result of the Scottish government’s “choice to deprioritise the fight against homelessness”.

Its director Alison Watson said: “Over the years they have been presented with endless evidence and testimony that investing in social housing ends homelessness, tackles child poverty and is vital in tackling the housing emergency.

“We must be clear; the Scottish government have made a choice not to act on that evidence.

“They have chosen to deprioritise social housing in their spending plans by disproportionately slashing that budget.

“They know that this will mean more people in Scotland will become homeless, that the thousands of children currently trapped in temporary accommodation will have an even harder time finding somewhere permanent to call home.”

Homeless charity Crisis said the pandemic saw “extraordinary progress in tackling rough sleeping” but the latest figures show a system that is “bursting at the seams”.

Citizens Advice Scotland reported a 34% increase in the number of people seeking advice about homelessness between 2021 and 2022.

To be clear, the latest figures detail the picture in September 2022 before the subsequent rent freeze and eviction ban to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Those actions will likely skew these numbers when we come to look at them again in 2024.

Even so, the housing secretary described the figures as “unacceptable and concerning”.

Ms Robison pointed to £100m investment to transform the homelessness system, as well as additional funding of £30.5m to councils.

“The number of households, and particularly children, in temporary accommodation in some council areas is too high and we are firmly committed to reducing it,” she said.

“That is why we commissioned an action plan from experts in the sector to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation and the length of time spent there and the recommendations are expected shortly.”