You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Shelter Scotland calls for budget uplift as children ‘pay the price’ for housing crisis
Shelter Scotland has called for the affordable housing budget to be restored to at least £3.5bn amid rising homelessness.
The charity is urging ministers to reverse cuts amid increasing numbers of children living in temporary accommodation.
Shelter Scotland said the number has doubled in the past decade to more than 10,000.
It believes housing needs to be made a “top national infrastructure priority” for the government, with the £3.5bn figure fixed as the “minimum” amount.
The Scottish government previously said it planned to invest this figure by the end of the parliamentary term in April 2026.
READ MORE
However, it faced backlash when it last produced a Budget and the grant programme for new social housing was slashed by 26% for 2024-25 – £196m less than what was handed out the year before.
Shelter Scotland also highlighted the urgent need for investment in local homelessness services, many of which are under severe strain, to ensure people can retain their homes.
Official figures showed that homelessness in Scotland is at its highest level for more than a decade.
Data for 2023-24 showed there were 40,685 homelessness applications, an increase of 4% on last year and the highest since 2011-12.
The charity said passing another budget that does not adequately support housing is “endorsing homelessness” and failing children who are already without a permanent home.
Alison Watson, director at Shelter Scotland, said: “The Scottish government has a choice to make in this Budget: reverse the cuts to housing and invest in local services, or allow homelessness to rise.
“More than 10,000 children are living in temporary accommodation – the highest number on record and more than double the figure from a decade ago. It’s children who are paying the price for the government’s failure to tackle the housing emergency.
“If MSPs pass another budget that fails to adequately support housing, then they’re endorsing homelessness and condemning even more children to spend their childhoods without a permanent home.
“Of course, we accept there are budget pressures but if the Scottish government wants to be taken seriously when it tells us it’s still committed to tackling child poverty, then it needs to prove its serious about ending child homelessness.
“Social housing is the only way to end Scotland’s housing emergency – and the government knows this.”
In response, Scottish housing minister Paul McLennan said: “Scotland has the strongest rights in the UK for people experiencing homelessness, but we are committed to ensuring that no one need become homeless in the first place.
“That is why we are investing in the £100m multi-year Ending Homelessness Together fund to prevent homelessness, end rough sleeping and reduce temporary accommodation use.
“We have also made record funding of more than £14bn available to councils in 2024-25 to deliver a range of services, including in homelessness.
“We are investing nearly £600m this year in affordable homes, including an additional £40m to increase the availability of social and affordable homes – including larger properties suitable for families – through acquisitions and bringing long-term voids back into use.”
