Masking the problem – a worsening homelessness picture in Scotland unless the homeless system reforms

On the face of it, there are some positives contained in the latest bi-annual homelessness statistics, published by the Scottish Government on Tuesday 3 February. A 2% reduction in the number of applications and a 14% reduction in the number of children in homeless households are good. They do risk masking other, significant problems, however.  

In response to the latest publication, the Cabinet Secretary for Housing noted that, “there is still much to do, and we are determined to turn the tide and ensure everyone has the opportunity of a place to call home”. Crisis agrees wholeheartedly with this – it is essential that all forms of homelessness are ended, for everybody. While the Scottish Government’s focus on reducing the number of children experiencing homelessness is laudable, it has risked causing, or at least coinciding with, problems elsewhere.  

For example, there has been a significant spike in people experiencing rough sleeping and of single person households experiencing homelessness.  

A 24% rise in rough sleeping in the space of a year is extraordinary. Extrapolating that out to a 105% leap over three years is almost unfathomable and is not where Scotland should be on its journey to end homelessness, for good.  

The prioritisation of reducing experiences of homelessness for one group of people in society has also coincided with an increase for another group. Single male households account for half of all homelessness applications, nationwide and that proportion is growing. In total, 71% of all homelessness applications are from single person households. Scotland abolished priority need (and local connection) with good cause – to ensure that no person, or group, receives preferential access to stable housing. This needs to remain the practice that is followed and front of mind for local and national strategies to end homelessness and the different housing emergencies.   

By the time of the next homelessness statistics publication later this year, a new Government will have been elected in Scotland. They will have 5 years to go about creating the structural and systems changes needed to address the issues that we are faced with now, stemming the flow of households coming into the system, and ensuring that everyone who needs support can be helped out of homelessness quickly and sustainability. By doing this, we believe that homelessness in Scotland can be ended by 2040, and future annual reporting will tell a very different story from the one we see today.