Record high number of homeless people in temporary housing

The number of households living in temporary homeless accommodation in Scotland has reached a record high.

Figures released by the Scottish government reveal that 17,240 households were in council-funded properties in March 2025 – an increase of 6%.

Meanwhile, the number of households assessed as homeless last year was the highest since 2012.

More than 10,000 children in Scotland are in temporary accommodation, which is a slight increase on last year’s total.

There has also been an rise in rough sleeping, as well as an increase in the time from assessment to closure of a homelessness case.

Households with children on average spend the longest time in temporary accommodation.

Citizens Advice Scotland said it had seen a surge in demand for housing advice over the last year due to the “deepening nature” of the crisis in Scotland.

Housing Minister Màiri McAllan said the figures demonstrated the scale of the housing challenge and that her emergency plan aimed to help the situation.

Amanda Smith is among the growing numbers of legally homeless people since she was evicted from her privately-rented flat in Glasgow after six years.

The 55-year-old said she was “put out on the streets” by sheriff officers last September after the flat was sold. She has been on the council waiting list for a permanent home ever since.

After she was evicted, Amanda spent the following 10 months in a homeless hotel.

A council spokeswoman accepted that Amanda had spent too long in bed and breakfast accommodation, but added that she had declined a temporary furnished flat on two occasions because a permanent move was thought to be imminent.

The Scottish government declared a national housing emergency in May 2024.

When her eviction notice arrived in March 2024, Amanda said she put her name on the waiting list for social housing straight away.

She claimed “nobody at the council did anything” during the six months she spent challenging her eviction.

Amanda said she called them constantly to ask about her housing situation.

She said: “All I got was, ‘Oh we don’t have any emergency accommodation, we don’t have any temporary accommodation, we don’t have anything for you.’

“I never got a place to stay until I was actually put out homeless on the streets by the sheriff officers.”

Amanda and her two adult children – aged 23 and 30 – were then placed in a council-funded hotel room for the next 10 months.

She described the experience as “worse than jail.”

“In jail you would get to mix with people,” she added.

“It was the isolation, it was the four walls in that room, just constantly for 10 months.

“If you were in jail, you’d get three hot meals a day.”

She claimed that the lock on her door didn’t always work and one night a man walked into her room.

“My daughter was just out the shower, sitting on our bed in her underwear, and this stranger just walks into the room.

“I know it was a mistake because he walked straight back out, but it could have been a different scenario.”

Soon Amanda had lost her job as a bar worker which led to more financial problems.

She said her family had to live off instant noodles in their hotel room and food from a soup kitchen for months.

“It was scary, standing in their queue… people were always fighting,” she said.

“They were always arguing over cigarettes, cans of beer and pushing each other about.

“There was one time a lady grabbed me in the queue and I was a bit frightened and then didn’t go back for a couple of weeks after that.”

Amanda said the experience destroyed her self-worth and she often heard people taking drugs near her room.

“They always used to congregate outside where my bedroom window was in the hotel, that’s all I would hear for 10 months,” she said.

“And I felt, is that all I’m worth? Am I going to end up like them as well?”

She said that only one welfare check was provided during this time.

“You don’t get anybody,” she said. “It’s like you’re put in this hotel and forgotten about.”

Amanda and her family were eventually placed in a temporary flat in the south of the city while she waits for a permanent home.

But she says she has never once met her housing case worker in person.

“I don’t even know what he looks like,” she added.

“I have to phone them constantly. Not once has my case worker ever picked up the phone and called me.”

Now it’s been over a month since Amanda heard anything about a permanent social home.

Glasgow City Council declared a housing emergency in November 2023.

A council spokeswoman accepted that Amanda had “spent an unreasonable period in bed and breakfast while (the council) wait for repairs to be completed”.

She said: “Ms Smith was offered a temporary furnished flat on two occasions but, as a permanent move was thought to be imminent, she declined.

“There have been ongoing repair issues to the permanent accommodation we have offered which are not within our control and have been liaising with the housing association to resolve this.

“They did provide an alternative offer to the original one which Ms Smith accepted, however it has an issue with a replacement meter.”

Amanda’s story isn’t unique.

The Scottish government declared a national housing emergency last year due to a severe shortage in social homes and rising private rent costs.

But the number of affordable homes has dropped even further since then.

Earlier this month, research commissioned by housing groups found that at least 15,600 new affordable homes now need to be built in Scotland each year to meet housing need.

This represents an increase of almost 50% since 2020 and double the government’s current target.

While Edinburgh had the largest number of homeless households, Glasgow’s problem has steadily worsened over time.

The growth in homeless applications has been linked to the asylum backlog.

Last week, Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken told the BBC’s Politics Scotland programme that the UK government’s “mass processing” of asylum seekers meant that too many people are being granted leave to remain at the same time, making housing individuals too difficult.

Once a person is granted leave to remain, they have to leave Home Office accommodation and can turn to the council for assistance.

The council leader described the issue as “the single biggest cost pressure” for the local authority.

She warned that this would get “worse and worse” without more support from both the UK and Scottish governments.

Housing Minister Màiri McAllan announced an emergency action plan at the Scottish Parliament earlier this month.

It was aimed at ending children living in unsuitable accommodation and supporting the housing needs of vulnerable groups, as well as growing the housing sector.

She said the Scottish government would invest up to £4.9bn over the next four years to deliver about 36,000 affordable homes and provide a home for up to 24,000 children.

But the plan was met with a mixed response from the sector.

While charity Shelter Scotland welcomed the announcement, they said it did not commit to enough new social homes to prevent homelessness from rising.

The group’s director Alison Watson said: “The fear is that (the) plan, while containing many good things, ultimately falls short of doing enough to stop homelessness rising and fixing the broken biased housing system.”

Housing Minister Màiri McAllan said: “I recognise the significant pressure on homelessness services, particularly in Glasgow, and I continue to meet with the city council to discuss the situation there.

“Ultimately, the UK cost of living crisis and the UK government’s mismanagement of the asylum system are creating serious pressures for local authorities, especially Glasgow.

“We must urgently see more financial assistance from the UK government to enable local authorities to provide safety and sanctuary for those arriving and ensure appropriate integration into communities.”