Housing Scotland: Over 10,000 Scots spend over a year in temporary accommodation

Almost 6,000 households in Edinburgh alone have been waiting more than 12 months for a permanent home

More than 10,000 people are stuck in temporary accommodation for over an entire year, new figures have revealed.

Thousands of households are being left to languish in this type of accommodation for more than 12 months, including 4,000 children under the age of 18.

The problem is greatest in Edinburgh, where 5,994 households have been waiting for a permanent home for over a year, including 2,341 with children.

Thousands of families are languishing in temporary accommodation for over a year.

In Glasgow there were 2,379 households waiting over a year, including 1,143 with children. This comes after both Edinburgh and Glasgow councils, as well as Argyll and Bute Council, all declared housing emergencies at the end of last year. Fife Council is also on the brink of declaring an official housing emergency.

The Scottish Conservatives have urged Humza Yousaf’s Government to declare a housing emergency for the entire country.

Miles Briggs, the Scottish Conservatives’ housing spokesman, said: “These shocking figures should be a source of shame for SNP-Green ministers. They have repeatedly failed to get a grip of Scotland’s housing crisis to the point where three councils, including Edinburgh, have now declared housing emergencies.

“It is little wonder Edinburgh Council decided to do that when almost 6,000 people in the capital, including over 2,000 children, have shamefully been languishing in temporary accommodation for over a year.

Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs has highlighted a wide discrepancy between net zero grants given to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Picture: Neil Hanna.

“That only highlights the real-life consequences of the savage cuts SNP-Green ministers have imposed on the housing budget and are set to do again. They cannot keep turning a blind eye to this situation.

“Children and families in Edinburgh are being let down at every turn and a national housing emergency must be declared. That will truly recognise the scale of this crisis and will help to stop people having to live in unsuitable temporary accommodation for far too long.”

Councillor Jane Meagher, Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “Despite a huge amount of action on the city’s part to prevent people from losing their home, including doubling the council’s homelessness budget this year and building close to 7,000 new affordable homes since 2018, the fact remains Edinburgh is in the grip of a housing emergency. We cannot fix it alone, so the whole country’s support, that of industry and government, is vital.

“The cost-of-living crisis means that demand for affordable housing is far outstripping supply. The added pressure of rising construction costs and reduced budgets mean we need to think differently.

“Shockingly, despite repeated and ongoing engagement with the Scottish Government, they look set to slash Edinburgh’s budget at a time of unprecedented housing need. I will not stop calling on Ministers to truly recognise this national crisis and the Capital’s unique place within it.

“When you consider that Edinburgh has 60% of the demand for social housing in Scotland, but only 10% of the money allocated for it by the Scottish Government, the scale of the problem becomes clear. Our council housing stock was negatively impacted by the Right to Buy policy meaning we only have 14% social housing in Edinburgh, compared to a national average of 23%. This squeezes around 10% more households into the private rented sector which for Edinburgh, is one of the most expensive in Europe.

“Having a home is a basic human right and it breaks my heart that while we address this close to 5,000 households have started the new year living in temporary - homeless - accommodation in Edinburgh. Many more face the daily stress and threat of losing their home, which is why it’s so important our partners and council officers are at the end of the phone, in our local offices and on the street doing their very best to prevent and address homelessness.”

Other local authorities with high numbers of people waiting over a year include 282 households in West Lothian, 249 in Fife, 156 in Stirling, 142 in Dundee, 141 in Highland, 110 in Midlothian, and 102 in East Lothian. However, nobody was waiting more than a year for a permanent home in Aberdeenshire, Inverclyde or Moray.

Glasgow City Council said this is one of the reasons the local authority declared a housing emergency.

A spokeswoman said: “While the recent hike in demand for emergency accommodation and homelessness assistance is largely down to the UK Government’s decision to accelerate the asylum decision process, there are other factors which have led to increased numbers of people travelling to Glasgow from across Scotland, as well as Ireland and London, in search of accommodation.

“Changes in legislation, coupled with the cost-of-living crisis, inflation and more people choosing to come to Glasgow has increased demand for housing and created unprecedented pressures on the city.””

Councillor Jane Meagher, housing, homelessness and fair work convener at Edinburgh council, said: “Despite a huge amount of action on the city’s part to prevent people from losing their home, including doubling the council’s homelessness budget this year and building close to 7,000 new affordable homes since 2018, the fact remains Edinburgh is in the grip of a housing emergency. We cannot fix it alone, so the whole country’s support, that of industry and government, is vital.

“The cost-of-living crisis means that demand for affordable housing is far outstripping supply. The added pressure of rising construction costs and reduced budgets mean we need to think differently.

“Shockingly, despite repeated and ongoing engagement with the Scottish Government, they look set to slash Edinburgh’s budget at a time of unprecedented housing need. I will not stop calling on ministers to truly recognise this national crisis and the capital’s unique place within it.”

Housing minister Paul McLennan said “tackling homelessness” was a key priority for the Scottish Government. “We are committed to reducing the number of households with children in temporary accommodation and we are acting on the recommendations of the expert temporary accommodation task and finish group,” he said.

“This includes investing at least £60 million in 2023/24 as part of our £752m Affordable Housing Supply Programme to support a national acquisition plan, working with social landlords to deliver a new programme of stock management; and working with the local authorities facing the greatest pressure – backed by an additional £2m in 2023/24.”