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Children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland tops more than 10,000 for the first time
The number of homeless children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland has surpassed 10,000 for the first time.
Official data published by the Scottish government revealed that as of March 2024, 10,110 children were living in temporary accommodation such as hotels and B&Bs.
The figure represents a rise of 5% from March 2023, when 9,595 homeless children were living in temporary accommodation.
In total, there were 16,330 households in temporary accommodation across Scotland, a 9% rise on 2023.
Meanwhile, 33,619 households were assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness, up 3% on 2023 and the highest figure since 2012.
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The number of live homelessness applications in Scotland reached a record level of 31,870 in March 2024, with councils facing more than 100 applications a day.
There were 40,685 homelessness applications in Scotland in 2023-24, an increase of 4% compared with the previous year and the highest since 2011-12.
Rough sleeping is also on the rise in Scotland, with the number of households reporting sleeping rough the night before putting in a homelessness application rising to 1,916.
Scottish housing minister Paul McLennan called the figures “deeply concerning”.
He said: “I know the lack of a settled home seriously affects people’s health and life chances. They demonstrate the scale of the challenge we face in tackling the housing emergency and I am determined to work with partners to reverse this trend.”
Mr McLennan said he would continue to support councils and deliver affordable homes. He added that Scotland’s forthcoming Housing Bill would place a stronger emphasis on homelessness prevention.
The average time spent in temporary accommodation for cases that closed in 2023-24 was 226 days, one day higher than the previous year. This compares with 292 days on average for cases that are still open.
Households with children spend the longest time in temporary accommodation, averaging between 319 and 565 days.
The average length of time to close a homelessness case was 278 days, 11 days longer compared with 2022-23.
Sally Thomas, chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, said the figures “underline that the collapse in housebuilding has devastating consequences”.
She said: “Repeated Scottish government cuts to the affordable housing budget have made it ever more difficult for housing associations to deliver the safe, warm, affordable homes that everyone deserves as a basic human right.
“We’ve seen some recognition from Scottish government that this is an emergency, so ahead of the Scottish budget, we need to see radical action to match that and to invest in our social homes. This is a dire situation, but there is time to turn things around if we act with purpose.”
