Homelessness in Scotland: 2024-25

Age

• The homeless population is younger than the overall adult Scottish population (16+).
• Reasons and prior circumstances
  • Younger people are more likely to become homeless for the reason of being asked to leave.
  • The proportion becoming homeless from a private rented tenancy and owning own property increases with age.
• Support needs
  • Younger applicants more likely to require basic housing/living skills and have a learning disability.
  • Drug/alcohol dependency and mental health problems most common amongst 35-64 year olds.
  • Older applicants more likely to have a medical condition and physical disability.
• Repeat homelessness and rough sleeping are the least common amongst oldest and youngest applicants.
• Temporary accommodation
  • Younger applicants are more likely to take up temporary accommodation whilst older applicants are least likely.
  • Older applicants spent the least amount of time in temporary accommodation – 180 days compared to an overall average of 238 days.
  • 25-49 year olds were most likely to breach the unsuitable accommodation order.
• Outcomes
  • For most ages, 82 to 84% secured settled accommodation.
  • The exception was 16-17 year olds where only 76% secured settled accommodation.
  • Average time for case closure was shortest for 65+ age group.

Gender & Household type

• 58% of homeless households (main applicant) are male compared to 48% of the adult Scottish population.
• Reasons and prior circumstances
  • Women are more likely to be homeless as a result of a violent or abusive household dispute.
• 84% of those reporting rough sleeping in the previous three months were men.
• 72% of those who had previously been assessed as homeless in the last year were men.
• Homeless households are more likely to be single adult or single parent compared to the overall population
  • Single parent households are more likely to be female – 14% compared to 5% male.
  • Single person households more likely to be male – 48% compared to 21% female.
• Property types homeless from
  • Women are more likely to become homelessness from private rented tenancies.
  • Men are more likely to become homelessness from prison and PRS shared properties.
• Temporary accommodation
  • Men are more likely to take up temporary accommodation (67%) than women (55%).
  • Men account for 86% of temporary accommodation not offered and 72% of breaches of the unsuitable accommodation order.
• Outcomes
  • Bar chart showing proportion securing settled accommodation by household type.

Ethnicity

• Ethnicity
  • 77% of homeless households (main applicant) are of white ethnicity compared to 93% of the adult Scottish population and compared to 87% in 2014-15.
  • Numerical decreases were experienced across all white ethnicities between 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • For all other ethnicities, numbers were the same or an increase on the previous year.
  • The ethnicity with the largest increase was Arabian.
• Temporary accommodation
  • Bar chart showing temporary accommodation take up by ethnicity.
• Homelessness
  • Those of white Scottish ethnicity are the most likely to be reassessed as homeless compared to other ethnicities.
  • White Scottish and Other British main applicants are more likely to have a support need compared to any other ethnicity.
• Outcomes
  • Bar chart showing proportion securing settled accommodation by ethnicity.