Homelessness in Scotland: update to 30 September 2020

Characteristics

Key Points

Compared to 2019, there were a higher proportion of applicants who were:

• Single males
• 18-24 years old
• Of White Scottish ethnicity

Applications in the 6 month period in 2020 were made up of a higher proportion of single person households than in 2019 (71% compared to 65%). Conversely, there was a decrease in the proportion of households with children (29% to 24%); this ties in with the lower increases in households with children in temporary accommodation. This was largely driven by increases in the proportion of single male applicants in the period April to June in particular. (Chart 5 & Table 11)

There was a higher proportion of 18-24 year old applicants in the 6 month period in 2020 compared to 2019 – from 20% to 22% (Table 12).

There was also an increase in the proportion of those of 'White Scottish' ethnicity – 78% for the April-September 2020 compared to 75% in 2019 (Table 13).