Developed by the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) alongside colleagues in the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability (NRS) service, the action plan sets out a number of actions which both services are taking forward in order to mitigate the challenging circumstances which forced the declaration of a housing emergency in November 2023.

Key actions relate to continued partnership working with the city’s Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to maximise the number of properties being allocated to homeless households as well supporting RSLs to acquire properties on the open market (which are then allocated to homeless households) and reducing the number of empty properties across the city.

According to the report, RSLs in the city have responded positively to the housing and homelessness emergency and are currently allocating, on average, around 50% of social
housing lets to homeless households however performance is variable across the high number of RSLs in the city. It added that Homelessness Services have developed a robust monitoring framework for RSL performance which includes an interactive data dashboard as well as both local and strategic engagement and communication frameworks.

As at December 2024, 52% of available lets have been allocated to Homelessness Services.

The HSCP said it is also committed to reducing the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation in Glasgow and is finalising a 10-year temporary accommodation strategy which will set out a roadmap as to how this will be achieved.

Glasgow City HSCP will also continue to liaise closely with both the UK and Scottish Governments in relation to a fair funding settlement for the delivery of homelessness services.

Shelter Scotland, which called for Glasgow City Council to urgently intervene in its housing crisis, has welcomed the housing emergency action plan and its commitment to tackling the issues.

Amid figures which revealed that 3,060 children in the city are in temporary accommodation, the charity issued a letter to council leaders to speed up their response after they refrained from formally publishing any plan for a year after the declaration.

Shelter Scotland said it welcomes the commitments made around buying and building the social homes needed and the ongoing review of the city’s temporary accommodation strategy. However, the charity said it must be acknowledged there are no specific targets for reducing the number of children in temporary accommodation, which raises concerns.

Director of Shelter Scotland, Alison Watson, said: “Since a housing emergency was declared in 2023, the situation in Glasgow has continued to deteriorate with thousands of children trapped in temporary accommodation.

“The number of people living in B&Bs has risen by 88% since November 2023 and the council failed to provide any accommodation for over 1,000 homeless applicants in November 2024 alone. This is the stark reality and demands urgent and long-term action.

“We welcome the action plan from Glasgow City Council and its commitment to tackling the issue by recognising how crucial it is for more social homes to be available. However, with no set targets for reducing the number of children stuck in temporary accommodation, there is a concern. We must ensure there is meaningful progress, otherwise the housing emergency will continue to spiral with children being on the frontline.;

“Shelter Scotland also recognises that while work must be done at every level of government, including by Glasgow City Council to address the devasting housing emergency, local authorities can’t be expected to pick up the pieces on their own. The Scottish Government needs to support and invest in housing so that more social homes can be built.

“This action plan can contribute to efforts to end the housing emergency, but it must end with everyone in the city having somewhere warm, safe, and secure to call home.”