Homelessness in Scotland: 2024-25
This statistics bulletin provides information on homelessness in Scotland in the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, alongside historical data.
Part of
The extent of homelessness in Scotland
Key points in 2024-25
- Decrease in homelessness applications
- Increase for those with refugee and leave to remain status, while those with other eligibility categories experienced a decrease
- Increase in open cases
- Increase in temporary accommodation
Applications, assessments, and households in temporary accommodation
Table 1: Annual decrease in homeless applications while open cases and households in temporary accommodation experienced an annual increase
Homelessness applications, assessments and temporary accommodation 2023-24 and 2024-25
| Measure | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
Change 2023-24 to 2024-25 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | |||
|
Applications |
41,054 | 40,688 | -366 |
-1% |
|
Assessed as homeless |
33,955 | 34,067 | 112 | 0% |
| Households in temporary accommodation at 31 March | 16,330 | 17,240 | 910 | 6% |
| Open homelessness applications at 31 March | 31,513 | 31,695 | 182 | 1% |
The number of applications decreased for the first time since the reduction between 2019-20 and 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the number of applications is still the second highest (only behind 2023-24) in the last decade.
Nationally, there were decreases in applications from British, EEA, A8 and EU nationals and those who are not eligible for assistance (from 36,730 to 35,725, 3%, combined). However, there were increases from those with refugee or leave to remain status, as well as Ukrainian nationals lawfully present through the Ukraine Family Scheme or Homes for Ukraine visa scheme (from 4,320 to 4,960, 15%, combined). Over half (56%) of these were in Glasgow, accounting for a third of all applications in Glasgow (2,770 out of 8,445). One fifth of (20%) were in Edinburgh, accounting for over a quarter (980 out of 3,785 of their applications.
The number of households assessed as homeless were the highest since 2011-12, with the number of households in temporary accommodation reaching the highest in the time series (back to 2002).
Although open applications as at 31 March 2025 experienced an increase compared to31 March 2024, the figure is 2% lower then the 32,272 reported as at 30 September 2024. [Note that the September 2024 figure is likely to be revised slightly with the publication of the quarterly time series in February 2026 due to quarterly updates – see updates to previous statistics for more information.]
Number of households vs number of people
The 34,067 homeless households in 2024-25 contained a total of 53,720 people, comprising 38,674 adults and 15,046 children. The number of adults experienced a relatively small numerical increase (114, less than 0.5%) compared to the previous year, while the number of children decreased by 1,065 (7%).
There were 10,180 children in temporary accommodation as at 31 March 2025. This is 1% higher than March 2024, although 2% lower than the 10,360 reported as at 30 September 2024, which was the highest in the time series. There was also an annual increase of 1% for both the number of households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation as at 31 March, compared to a 6% increase in households overall. [To note, data is not collected on the number of adults in temporary accommodation placements.]
Intentionality
In 2024-25, 33,198 (97% of all homeless households) were assessed as unintentionally homeless, and 869 assessed as intentionally homeless.
This is the highest number of households assessed as intentionally homeless since legislation changed in November 2019, giving local authorities the power to assess for intentionality, rather than it being a legal duty to do so.
Longer term trends
Chart 1: Longer term trends in homelessness in Scotland are impacted by previous legislation, policy, and practice, with a shorter-term impact due to COVID-19
Homelessness applications, assessments, open applications, and households in temporary accommodation: 2002-03 to 2024-25
In 2001, Scottish homelessness legislation extended councils’ duties to non-priority need homeless households. Before 2002, the majority of homeless households in priority need were households with children. Following the 2001 extension duty there was a notable increase in the number of single people applying for homelessness assistance.
These single people were also eligible for temporary accommodation. This can, at least in part, explain the increase from 2002-03 in use of temporary accommodation. The priority need test was abolished on 31 December 2012.
The sharper decrease shown from 2009-10 in applications and households assessed as homeless is likely due to the impact of the introduction of Housing Options services in Scottish local authorities, with a focus on prevention.
From 2016-17, applications and assessments were increasing year on year until 2020-21, when the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in decreases due to stay at home guidance and emergency legislation to protect renters. The lifting of these resulted in a return to increasing trends. The number of open applications and households in temporary accommodaiton continued to rise throughout the pandemic and are now at an all time high.
How does homelessness vary across Scotland?
Applications
Eleven local authorities experienced an increase in applications, 20 experienced a decrease and one had the same number of applications as last year.
The largest numerical increases were in Glasgow (693, 9%), Dundee City (252, 18%) and Angus (97, 17%).
The largest numerical decreases were in South Lanarkshire (282, 10%), South Ayrshire (240, 26%) and Edinburgh (189, 5%).
Comparing homelessness figures with the total number of households for each local authority (i.e. rates) provides a useful insight as to how homelessness varies across Scotland. [Note East Dunbartonshire is shown in grey in Chart 2 due to data quality issues.]
Chart 2: 133 households per 10,000 in Scotland assessed as homeless
Households assessed as homeless compared to all households, by local authority: 2024-25
Open homelessness applications
It is not always the case that the same patterns are observed across all local authorities for new and open applications. There are instances where there has been an increase in open applications, despite a decrease in the number of new applications. For example, Edinburgh experienced a 5% decrease in applications, but an 11% increase in open applications. This can be explained by the fact that the number of new cases is greater than the number of closed cases, and hence leads to an overall increase in open cases.
Conversely, there are cases where open case have decreased despite an increase in applications (Dundee had a 18% increase in applications but a 4% decrease in open cases). This is due to less new cases than cases closed.
Edinburgh has the highest number of open cases at 7,866, accounting for 25% of all open cases compared to only 9% of all new applications. Glasgow has the next highest number of open cases at 6,567, with both their applications and open cases accounting for 21% of the national totals.
Temporary accommodation
Similarly, it is not necessarily the case that the local authorities with the highest rates of homeless households have the highest rates for use of temporary accommodation, and vice versa. This implies some local authorities have a disproportionately high use of temporary accommodation, while others have a disproportionately low use.
Chart 3: 68 households per 10,000 in Scotland in temporary accommodation
Households in temporary accommodation compared to all households, by local authority: as at 31 March 2025