Homelessness in Scotland: update to 30 September 2022

The extent of homelessness in Scotland

Key Points

Increases across all aspects of homelessness compared to the same period in 2021.

• 19,066 applications (+6%)
• 15,414 households assessed as homeless (+6%)
• 28,944 open cases (+11%)
• 14,458 households in temporary accommodation (+1%)

Applications, assessments, and households in temporary accommodation

Table A: Homelessness applications, assessments and households in temporary accommodation, April to September 2021 and 2022

Over the six-month period 1 April to 30 September 2022, there have been increases in the number of homelessness applications, households assessed as homeless, open homelessness applications and households in temporary accommodation compared to the same period in 2021.

The number of homelessness applications reduced in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (where there were changes in service use, and measures such as temporary emergency COVID-19 legislation, a temporary ban on home repossessions and mortgage payment deferrals to protect renters and home owners). In the last two years, the number of homelessness applications has been rising and now exceeds those recorded before the pandemic. The number of households assessed as homeless, however, while following a similar trend, is still slightly below pre-pandemic figures.

Homelessness applications are higher than pre-pandemic

Chart 1: Number of homelessness applications and households assessed as homeless, April to September

Despite a reduction in the six-month period in 2021, open homelessness applications are at the highest since the collection began in 2002, with an increase of 29% compared to 2019.

Open homelessness applications are at an all-time high

Chart 2: Open homelessness applications, as at 30 September

There has been a decrease (540, 4%) in the number of homelessness cases closed compared to 2021 which partly explains the increase in open applications.

The number of households in temporary accommodation have increased by 1%, similar to the 2020 figure, following a slight reduction in 2021. The number of children in temporary accommodation has been increasing year on year to also reach the highest in the time series in 2022.

The number of households and children in temporary accommodation remain considerably higher than pre-pandemic

Chart 3: Households and number of children in temporary accommodation, as at 30 September

The increase in open applications and temporary accommodation are also likely the result of the backlog of cases that built up during COVID-19 and the ongoing cost and supply issues for materials and lack of tradespeople which are required to provide settled accommodation.

To note that the national temporary accommodation and open homelessness applications figures are impacted by updated data supplied by Edinburgh Council. Prior to 1 April 2020, Private Sector Lease (PSL) accommodation was not counted as part of Edinburgh’s temporary accommodation stock. From a recording perspective, this meant that the homelessness applications associated with these cases were closed and new ones opened if those households re-presented.

The new PSL contract which started on 1 April 2020 allows Edinburgh council to use PSL accommodation for immediate access temporary accommodation placements. This has resulted in cases remaining open with associated PSL temporary accommodation placements. Please note, Edinburgh snapshot figures for temporary accommodation have been updated since the 2021/22 annual publication as a result of continued quality assurance, which uncovered further discrepancies between the aggregate and placement level returns. This resulted in an additional number of households in temporary accommodation as at 31 March 2020, 2021 and 2022 (142, 394 and 268 more households respectively) compared to those previously published.

Intentionality

In the six-month period in 2022, 15,414 (82%) applications were assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness, an increase of 828 (6%) compared to 2021. Of these, 15,155 (81%) were assessed as unintentionally homeless and 259 (1%) were assessed as intentionally homeless. The continued low proportion of those assessed as intentionally homeless is likely due to the changes in legislation from November 2019 which give local authorities the power to assess for intentionality, rather than it being a legal duty to do so. 

Local authority differences

Applications

Edinburgh experienced a notable increase in the number of homelessness applications from 1,171 to 1,509 (388, 29%) between 2021 and 2022. However, this follows a decrease of 14% between 2020 and 2021. Figures are still lower than pre-pandemic.

The next largest numerical increase for homelessness applications was in Dumfries & Galloway, with this figure now higher than pre-pandemic (660 in 2022 compared to 426 in 2019).

Aberdeen City and East Ayrshire have also experienced sizable numerical increases in homelessness applications (increases of 143, 20% and 133, 32% respectively).

Local authorities have noted increases due to the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and the increasing costs of living. They note an increase in evictions from the private rented sector (PRS), with Dumfries & Galloway noting an increase in private landlords serving notices with a view to selling their properties. This ties in with the increase in households reported as becoming homeless from a private rented tenancy.

Conversely, Glasgow experienced a decrease in the number of homelessness applications (of 691, 18%) between 2021 and 2022 from 3,761 to 3,060. This follows an increase of 29% between 2020 and 2021. The 2022 figure is much more in line with the 3,006 applications recorded in 2019.

Only four other local authorities recorded decreases in applications. These were Inverclyde (18, 3%), Orkney (8, 10%), West Dunbartonshire (5, 3%), and Renfrewshire (4, 1%).

Open homelessness applications

Edinburgh, Falkirk and Fife have notable increases in the number of open homelessness applications between September 2021 and 2022 (1,055, 418 and 408 respectively). Note, Edinburgh figures are affected by the inclusion of PSL temporary accommodation placements previously mentioned.

Fife also noted an increase in evictions from the PRS, as well as fewer discharges into, and fewer households resolving their housing needs within, the PRS. They additionally noted an increase in new presentations.

Notable decreases in open homelessness applications were recorded in Dundee City (122, 14%) and Midlothian (104, 15%).

Temporary accommodation

Edinburgh, Fife, Aberdeen City and Stirling experienced the largest numerical increase of households in temporary accommodation (265, 115, 51 and 47 respectively). Note, Edinburgh figures are affected by the inclusion of PSL temporary accommodation placements previously mentioned.

Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife and West Lothian had the largest numerical increase in the number of children in temporary accommodation (190, 185, 170 and 100 respectively).

Local authorities note that these figures are a result of (a) the continued greater demand for homelessness services than the supply of affordable social housing; (b) households staying longer in temporary accommodation due to reduced availability and turnover rates of suitable permanent accommodation; and, (c) a rise in the number of households with children requiring larger accommodation which takes longer to source.

Dundee City had the largest numerical decrease (99) of household in temporary accommodation. The next largest numerical decrease was recorded in Highland (95), which also had the largest numerical decrease (40) of children in temporary accommodation.