Findings covering 2023-24 show that there were 40,685 homelessness applications over that period, an increase of 1,377 (4%) compared to 2022-23, and the highest since 2011-12.

The number of households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness increased by 1,088 (3%) compared to 2022-23 to reach 33,619, the highest since 2011-12.

At 31 March 2024, there were 31,870 live applications, compared to 29,408 at March 2023, and 16,330 households in temporary accommodation, which is 9% higher than 15,039 at 31 March 2023. Both figures are now the highest in the time series.

The number of children in temporary accommodation is also the highest in the series, increasing to 10,110 from 9,595 (5%) between March 2023 and 2024.

The number of households reporting rough sleeping the night before application has increased from 1,493 to 1,916 and in the three months prior from 2,425 to 2,931.

The average time spent in temporary accommodation for cases that closed in 2023-24 was 226 days. This is one day higher than 2022-23. This compares to 292 days on average for cases that are still open.

83% of households assessed as unintentionally homeless secured settled accommodation in 2023-24, the same as 2022-23. The average length of time to close a homelessness case was 278 days for cases that closed in 2023-24. This is 11 days longer compared to 2022-23.

Shelter Scotland said these figures show children are paying the biggest price for politician’s continued failure to get a grip of the housing emergency, adding that it was clear the Scottish Government’s Housing to 2040 and Ending Homelessness Together strategies were unable to deliver the necessary change. 

The charity called on the First Minister to prove he was serious about his ambition to end child poverty in Scotland by reversing brutal housing cuts when his government publishes its budget in December.  

Shelter Scotland director, Alison Watson, said: “These figures show clearly that it is children in Scotland that are paying the highest price for politicians’ failure to get a grip on the housing emergency; they should be a source of great national shame. 

“Once again Scotland has broken unwelcome records, and the sad fact is that’s becoming the norm whenever these statistics are published. It’s hard to escape the conclusion that we’re seeing homelessness by design; politicians know what needs to be done but have consistently failed to deliver. 

“Today is a grim reminder of the reality of Scotland’s housing emergency; more and more children losing their homes every day, getting stuck in the homelessness system, trapped in miserable temporary accommodation for ever increasing lengths of time.  

“Every level of government has played a part in allowing the housing emergency to get to this disgraceful point, so politicians at every level of government have a more duty to act.  

“Our First Minister tells us often that ending child poverty is his guiding mission. There is no way for him to succeed in that mission while more and more children in Scotland become homeless.  

“The upcoming budget is a chance for him to show that his ambitions are more than just words. There are thousands of kids being robbed of their childhood in Scotland and they shouldn’t have to hear any more excuses.”

CIH Scotland’s national director Callum Chomczuk said: “The figures published today reveal a worrying escalation of Scotland’s housing emergency: homelessness is rising, homelessness due to violent or abusive dispute is rising, evictions due to rent arrears in the social sector are at a worrying level and the crucially the new supply of affordable homes is falling.

“We need decisive leadership from the UK and the Scottish Government which must include defining a new path to achieving the 2032 target of 110,000 affordable homes, and a commitment to scaling up and front-loading social housing investment in this parliamentary term. We need all political parties to work together to address the housing emergency, provide the long-term funding for building and make this the political priority.” 

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has called for a more collaborative approach by the Scottish Government to tackle the rising number of homeless applications and demand for temporary accommodation.

As Scotland’s largest independent advice network, CAS’ own data reinforces the extent of the multi-faceted housing emergency in Scotland. Last year, the network gave out more than 58,000 pieces of housing advice, and demand for homelessness advice in particular has been increasing. Between Q1 of 2023/24 and Q1 of 2024/25, advice on actual homelessness has increased by 10% and advice on threatened homelessness has increased by 19% as a proportion of all housing advice.

Aoife Deery, CAS senior policy officer, said: “These datasets go hand in hand and give us a clear picture into the continued and unacceptable housing pressures Scotland faces. Action is needed urgently if we’re going to see improvements in Scotland’s housing sector. We know that far too many people are experiencing real harm right now.

“Many local councils are struggling and need better assistance, while the social housebuilding budget needs to be put back on track.

“We were extremely disappointed to see the housing budget cut earlier in the year, especially as the number of homeless applications continues to increase. And behind these stats are the people that don’t have a safe space to call home.”

Ms Deery added: “The changes needed to properly tackle the housing emergency need increased collaboration between local authorities and the Scottish Government, backed up by significant multi-year funding. In a just and compassionate Scotland, everyone should have a safe, secure and affordable home.” 

Cyrenians report on homelessness prevention

Homelessness charity Cyrenians said more investment in homelessness prevention is required, as new figures suggest last year Edinburgh could have spent as much as £88.8 million on temporary accommodation and support.

As the number of households living in temporary accommodation – and the associated cost to local authorities – grows, new research commissioned by homelessness prevention charity Cyrenians demonstrates that spending money on prevention is the fastest, most effective and cheapest way to address the housing emergency.

A new report, commissioned by Cyrenians, a charity which tackles the causes and consequences of homelessness and authored by Policy Scotland, found that it costs Edinburgh an average of £23,265 per household - from their presentation as homeless until they move in to settled accommodation. The calculation includes the costs of housing them in temporary accommodation and providing support.

In contrast, it costs on average £2910 and an average of 18 weeks for Edinburgh Council’s Early Intervention Team to support households to maintain their tenancy, preventing them from going into temporary accommodation. This calculation was based on three case studies of households in varying circumstances. In several of the cases examined by the research, people were also able – with support – to start paying back rent arrears. This brought the average overall cost down to £29.

Jules Oldham, the owner and director of Policy Scotland which authored this report said: “The findings show the squeeze placed on resources over the past few years. The Scottish Government declared a National Housing Emergency, and yet it is nowhere to be seen in the recent Programme for Government. So much emphasis has been placed on the upcoming Housing (Scotland) Bill to solve homelessness, but we need more than new legislation. We must place a long-term focus on preventing homelessness, in terms of a plan, resourcing, and good practice.” 

Ewan Aitken, the chief executive of Cyrenians, said: “The evidence is stark, and tells us what we have known at Cyrenians for a long time - we cannot simply build our way out of the housing crisis.

“Temporary accommodation is unsuitable and costly – for the people living in it and for the council. We know, from several decades running services for people at risk that homelessness, that homelessness is not inevitable. It can be predicted and that means it can be prevented. Whilst there is a desperate need for more social housing, we must tackle the reasons why people become homeless in the first place.

“The right support at the right time, can keep people in their homes – which is a far better outcome than being forced to present as homeless. Behind the statistics published today are thousands of real people desperately relying on a system of support which is pushed to its limits. We need the Scottish Government to heavily invest in prevention services like ours – and Edinburgh Council’s Early Intervention Team – if we are going to tackle this problem.”

Debbie Horne, Scotland policy and public affairs manager at Independent Age, described the rise of 1,165 older people making a homelessness application as “a tragedy”.

She said: “It is extremely worrying to see a rise in the number of older people in Scotland being threatened with homelessness. This is a tragedy at any age, and it is clear that the Scottish Government must make sure the Housing Bill progresses through Parliament as soon as possible, improving the rights of people facing homelessness and the support they receive. It’s also worrying to see that 3% of older people who had made homeless application had experienced rough sleeping sometime in the 3 months beforehand.  

“In a society that aims to be the best place in the world to grow old, no one in later life should be left without a safe and secure home. Today’s rise in the number of homeless applications comes against a backdrop of increased pensioner poverty across the nation. We must also see urgent action from the Scottish Government on this, by introducing a strategy to bring these figures down.”

Minister’s response

Housing minister Paul McLennan said: “These figures are deeply concerning and 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.

“Working with representatives from across the housing sector is crucial. We have made record funding of more than £14 billion available to councils in 2024-25 to deliver a range of services, including in homelessness services, and we will continue to support councils to tackle the crisis. However, we must stop homelessness from happening in the first place and ensure affordable homes are available when people need them, we are taking action on both fronts.

“We have a strong track record in supporting the delivery of affordable homes with more than 133,000 homes completed since 2007, including more than 94,000 social rented homes. We will continue to build on that record with a total investment of almost £600 million in affordable housing this year.

“We have boosted the Affordable Housing Supply budget by £80 million over the next two years to further increase the supply of social and affordable homes. Plus, we have committed an additional £2m this year to councils with the greatest and sustained pressures on temporary accommodation to make use of existing housing stock.

“We are also looking for innovative ways to boost investment in housebuilding and as part of this year’s Programme for Government we announced a £100m investment in mid-market rent homes, which will be grown alongside private investment to £500m.

“Our Housing Bill will further strengthen tenants’ rights and introduce rent controls. The Bill will also place a stronger emphasis on the prevention of homelessness based on better coordination across systems, including relevant bodies working together to provide all-round support earlier. This will help people avoid the crisis of homelessness and the longer-term harms associated with it.”