Dear Editor,

News that young adults under 30 are now at higher risk than any other age group of experiencing poverty in Scotland sadly comes as little surprise.

They are also at higher risk of homelessness. While the overall number of homeless applications is decreasing, the rate of homelessness in Scotland is higher for young people than other age groups.

In real terms this means 10,794 young people aged 16-24 faced the human tragedy of homelessness last year.

Scotland is in the midst of a housing crisis. High rents mean that young adults, especially those who are working and/or renting from a private landlord, are more likely to be in poverty now than ten years ago.

To meaningfully tackle this crisis, for this and future generations, Scotland needs to build at least 10,000 homes for social rent each year.

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland