Housing First: monitoring reports

The data collected by the Scottish Government captures Housing First tenancies which started between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2024. Prior to this date, data on Housing First tenancies in the pathfinder areas was independently assessed and published here. This data is estimated and produced to inform policy delivery and development. 

Key points

Tenancies in Scotland

It is estimated that a total of 2,040[1]  Housing First tenancies have started across Scotland at 30 September 2024.

New Tenancies

Between 1 April 2024 and 30 September 2024, 183 new Housing First tenancies were started, with an additional 37 reported that commenced before 1 March 2024, totalling 220 new tenancies. This brings the total number of tenancies started since 1 April 2021 to 1,206[2].

Active Tenancies

Of the 1,206 tenancies started since 1 April 2021, 1,003 tenancies remain active. A total of 203 tenancies have ended, one due to eviction.

Transition Phases

Currently, 138 tenancies are in the 'step down'[3] phase, and 87 are in the 'stand down' phase.

Household Composition

Within active 1,003 tenancies there are 1,023 adults and 190 children, with an additional 124 households having access to 198 children but without full-time custody.

Children residing in Housing First

17 local authorities have 109 tenancies in which 190 children are resident, an increase of 172 children in 30 months.

Average Waiting Time

The average time from referral to permanent tenancy is 247 days, a 20.5% reduction since the last period. 18.5% moving into their tenancy within 50 days.

Demographics

92% of Housing First households are single people. The majority of participants (38.59%) are aged 35-49.

Sustainment Rate

Tenancy sustainment[4] rates are at 85% over 12 months after entry.

Housing First Across Scotland

As of 30 September 2024, 27 local authorities are operating a Housing First programme, with one additional authority joining in the last period. Five authorities are not planning on delivering a Housing First programme or have an alternative support programme in place.

This monitoring report captures Housing First tenancies which have begun across all 27 local authorities who are currently delivering Housing First. The latest data shows varying levels of tenancy delivery across different regions, with Renfrewshire, Fife and North Lanarkshire starting the highest number of tenancies in this reporting period.

Tenancies

183 new Housing First tenancies started across 22 local authorities between 1 March and 30 September 2024. Five local authorities reported zero new tenancies started during this period. This brings the total number of Housing First tenancies started to 1,206 between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2024. All tenants are in a permanent tenancy and are not in temporary accommodation.

203 tenancies have now ended; 138 people have now moved into the ‘step down’ phase; and a further 87 are in the ‘stand down’ phase of Housing First.

Table A: Total number of tenancies started in each local authority between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2024 and latest six-month return.

1 April 21 – 30 September 24

Local authority	Tenancies
Scotland	1206[5]
Renfrewshire	123
Glasgow City	113
Aberdeenshire	103
Fife	101
City of Edinburgh	81
North Lanarkshire	72
Midlothian	71
North Ayrshire	66
Dundee City	60
Inverclyde	53
West Dunbartonshire	52
Aberdeen City	47
Stirling	44
South Ayrshire	24
Falkirk	23
South Lanarkshire	23
Moray	21
Perth & Kinross	21
Scottish Borders	21
Dumfries & Galloway	20
Angus	13
East Ayrshire	12
Argyll & Bute	11
East Lothian	10
West Lothian	9
Western Isles	8
Highland	<5

1 April 24 – 30 September 24

Local authority	Tenancies
Scotland	183
Renfrewshire	29
Fife	25
North Lanarkshire	15
Aberdeen City	13
Aberdeenshire	11
Midlothian	11
Glasgow City	10
City of Edinburgh	9
Dundee City	8
Inverclyde	8
North Ayrshire	7
Stirling	6
West Dunbartonshire	6
Moray	5
Perth & Kinross	<5
South Ayrshire	<5
Dumfries & Galloway	<5
East Lothian	<5
Scottish Borders	<5
South Lanarkshire	<5
Angus	<5
Falkirk	<5
Argyll & Bute	-
East Ayrshire	-
Western Isles	-
Highland	-
West Lothian	-

Information was gathered on whether or not households had a homelessness application (HL1) and/or Housing Options (PREVENT1) approach recorded. Data shows that 96% of Housing First participants had a homelessness application, and 75% had a Housing Options[6] approach recorded.

Household characteristics

The data for this section is based on the main Housing First participant in ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies which began between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2024.

Gender     

Across the 1,003 ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies, 65% of the main Housing First tenants are male and 35% are female.

Chart 1: The household composition of Housing First tenancies.

Household composition	Percentage
Single Male	62%
Single Female	30%
Single Parent	6%
Couple	1%
Other	1%

Chart 1 note: 92% of Housing First households are single people. ‘Single parent’ includes both male and female data.

Chart 2: Housing First tenancies with children

Housing First Tenancies with Children

Tenancies with Children	Amount
End of Year 1	9
End of Year 2	37
End of Year 3	79
Year 4 (April – Sept 24)	109

Number of Children residing

Number of Children residing	Amount
End of Year 1	18
End of Year 2	64
End of Year 3	144
Year 4 (April – Sept 24)	190

Out of the 1,003 active Housing First tenancies, 109 tenancies include 190 children. The number of children reported to be residing in Housing First tenancies has significantly increased from 18 on 31 March 2022 to 190 by 31 September 2024, representing a rise of 172 children in 30 months.  

Chart 3: Housing First tenancies with access to children

Housing First Tenancies with access to Children

Tenancies with access to children	Amount
End of Year 1	36
End of Year 2	76
End of Year 3	106
Year 4 (April – Sept 24)	124

Number of Children

Number of Children	Amount
End of Year 1	59
End of Year 2	115
End of Year 3	167
Year 4 (April – Sept 24)	198

Households with access to children without full-time custody also increased, with 124 households having access to 198 children but without full-time custody.

Age

Chart 4: Age of main Housing First participant at tenancy start date.

Age	Percentage
16-17	1.6%
18-24	18.1%
25-34	28.1%
35-49	38.5%
50-64	13.3%
65+	0.1%

Ethnicity

Chart 5: Ethnicity of the main Housing First tenant

Ethnicity	Percentage
White Scottish	93.3%
Other British	3.2%
Other ethnic group	3.1%

Sexual Orientation

Chart 6: Sexual orientation of the main Housing First tenant

Sexual orientation	Percentage
Heterosexual/ Straight	65%
Don’t know	28%
Prefer not to say	4%
Gay/Lesbian	2%
Bi-Sexual	1%

Chart 6 note: Chart percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Local authorities have been asked to collect information on the sexual orientation of the main Housing First participant. Due to this data not being collected in some local authorities and the potentially sensitive nature of this question, many responses were initially recorded as unknown.

Disability

Chart 7: Proportion of Housing First participants with a disability.

Disability status	Percentage
No	64%
Yes	29%
Don’t know	6%
Prefer not to say	1%

Housing First tenancies

For the ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies which have begun since 1 April 2021, the average length of time between participants being referred for Housing First support and being offered a permanent tenancy is 218 days across the 27 local authorities. This has decreased from 284 days in the previous biannual report. The average time from referral to permanent tenancy has decreased to 247 days from 311 days.

Chart 8: Tenancy type of ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies.

Tenancy type	Percentage
LA Tenancy	68%
RSL	28%
PRS	4%

Of the 1,003 ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies, the proportion of local authority tenancies has increased by 2% to 68%. Registered social landlords (RSLs) have provided a steady proportion of Housing First tenancies over the last three reporting periods. 38 tenancies are either the private rented sector (PRS) or ‘Other’.

Chart 9: Banded national average in days to access a permanent tenancy from referral date.

Days	Percentage
0-50	18.5%
51-100	18.4%
101-150	14.0%
151-200	11.4%
201-250	7.8%
251-300	7.3%
301-350	5.1%
351-450	4.3%
451-550	2.4%
551-650	1.9%
651-750	1.5%
751+	7.3%

Chart 9 shows that 18.5% of Housing First participants move into their tenancies within 50 days. The proportion of participants waiting over 350 days is 17.4%. This is a slight drop from 19% in the previous reporting period. This average has been calculated on a national basis due to the small number of tenancies in some local authority areas at present.

Referral Route

Chart 10: Referral route of Housing First participants.

Referral route	Percentage
Homelessness application	59.1%
Area housing office	10.2%
Third Sector	9.1%
Addiction referral	5.5%
Criminal Justice System	5.0%
Other	4.5%
Prison	3.1%
Mental Health Referral	1.2%
Through-care/ after-care	1.1%
Self-Referral	0.7%
Police/NHS	0.5%

Housing First support

The data for this section is based on the main Housing First participant in 778 tenancies where support continues to be provided, and the tenancy is ‘live’. This excludes tenancies which are in the ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ phase.

Local authorities were asked to record the support that each Housing First participant is currently receiving or has previously received. Given the small numbers in a number of categories, information on ‘current’ and ‘previous’ support needs have been combined for disclosure control purposes.

Chart 11: Proportion of Housing First participants with support needs.

Support needs	Percentage
General Housing Support	96%
Budgeting	85%
Upkeep of Tenancy	84%
Accessing Benefits	84%
Resettlement	81%
Mental Health	80%
Drugs	71%
Safety/Security	69%
Criminal Activity	63%
Social Isolation	62%
Advocacy	49%
Alcohol	48%
Physical Health	45%
Exploitation	38%
Literacy	28%
Other	28%
Sexual Health	18%
Learning Disability	9%
Personal Care	9%

Chart 11 shows the proportion of participants who were recorded as having a ‘current’ or ‘previous’ support need across 19 categories.

Chart 12: Proportion of Housing First participants with support needs which are not catered for.

Support needs	Percentage
Mental Health	8.2%
Budgeting	5.1%
Drugs	4.0%
Learning Disability	3.0%
Alcohol	3.0%
Upkeep of Tenancy	2.8%
Exploitation	2.6%
Social Isolation	2.4%
Advocacy	2.2%
Physical Health	2.1%
Personal Care	1.8%
Safety/Security	1.5%
Sexual Health	1.4%
Literacy	1.4%
General Housing Support	1.4%
Criminal Activity	1.2%
Other	1.0%
Accessing Benefits	0.6%
Resettlement	0.4%

Chart 12 shows where support was required, but not provided, for Housing First participants across the same 19 categories. Over eight percent of participants require mental health support which is not provided.

Chart 13: Housing First participants with current multiple support needs.

Support Areas	Percentage
Support 1-5 Areas	18%
Support 6-10 Areas	48%
Support 11-15 Areas	32%
Support 16+ Areas	3%

Chart 14: Housing First participants receiving support by provider.

Support provider	Percentage
Third and Independent Sector	60%
Health and Social Care Partnerships	55%
Alcohol and Drugs Partnership	53%
Mental Health Service	38%
Other	15%
Peer Support	9%

Chart 14 shows a breakdown of the services involved in delivering support to Housing First tenancies.

Chart 15: Housing First participants receiving support from multiple support providers.

Support Providers	Percentage
0 Support Providers	10%
1 Support Provider	25%
2 Support Providers	20%
3 Support Providers	21%
4 Support Providers	17%
5 Support Providers	6%
6+ Support Providers	2%

Chart 15 note: Informal support was also provided for 36% of Housing First participants. Chart percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Chart 15 provides detail of the number of partners providing Housing First support. In 25% of Housing First tenancies, support was provided solely by one provider, likely where a local authority has undertaken a procurement exercise to commission Housing First support from an external provider. 10% of participants were recorded as having no support provider and 36% receive informal support.

Employment status

26 Housing First participants are employed either full-time or part-time, and 10 participants are engaged in voluntary work.

Summary

This report highlights the continued steady growth of Housing First in Scotland, with 1,206 tenancies started since 2021 and an 85% tenancy sustainment rate over 12 months. Positive progress includes reduced referral-to-tenancy wait times. However, challenges persist, such as regional disparities in tenancy uptake, long wait times for some participants, unmet mental health needs and limited employment outcomes.

Housing First programmes are also demonstrating success in supporting families with children, with a significant increase in children residing within tenancies, increasing from 18 children in March 2022 to 190 by September 2024. 109 active Housing First tenancies now include children, indicating that in providing secure, permanent housing for households with a history of homelessness, Housing First is also creating a stable environment for children and improving outcomes for families.