Housing First: monitoring reports

1 April 2025 to 30 September 2025

The data collected by the Scottish Government captures Housing First tenancies which started between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2025. Prior to this date, data on Housing First tenancies in the pathfinder areas was independently assessed and published here. This data is estimated and produced to inform policy delivery and development. 

Key Points

Tenancies in Scotland

It is estimated that a total of 2,336[1] Housing First tenancies have started across Scotland at 30 September 2025.

New Tenancies

Between 1 April 2025 and 30 September 2025, 156 new Housing First tenancies were started, with an additional 26 reported that commenced before 1 April 2025, totalling 182 new tenancies. This brings the total number of tenancies started since 1 April 2021 to 1,502[2].

Active Tenancies

Of the 1,502 tenancies started since 1 April 2021, 1,163 tenancies remain active. A total of 339 tenancies have ended[3].

Transition Phases

Currently, 200 tenancies are in the 'step down'[4] phase, and 194 are in the 'stand down' phase.

Household Composition

Within the active 1,163 tenancies there are 1186 adults and 174 children, with an additional 147 households having access to 224 children but without full-time custody.

Children Residing in Housing First

18 local authorities have 101 tenancies in which 174 children are resident.

Average Waiting Time

The average time from referral to permanent tenancy is 209 days, with 27% moving into their tenancy within 50 days.

Demographics

 91% of Housing First households are single people. The majority of participants (40%) are aged 35-49.

Sustainment Rate

Tenancy sustainment[5] rates are at 83%[6] over 12 months after entry.

Housing First Across Scotland

As of 30 September 2025, 26 local authorities are operating a Housing First programme. Six authorities are not operating a Housing First programme or have an alternative support programme in place.

This monitoring report captures Housing First tenancies which have begun across all 26 local authorities which are currently delivering Housing First. It also contains historical data from Scottish Borders Council which ended its Housing First program in September 2024. The latest data shows varying levels of tenancy delivery across different regions, with Renfrewshire starting the highest number of tenancies in this reporting period followed by Fife, Glasgow City, Aberdeenshire, City of Edinburgh and North Ayrshire.

Tenancies

156 new Housing First tenancies started across 21 local authorities between 1 April 2025 and 30 September 2025. Six local authorities reported zero new tenancies started during this period, and eleven reported under five. This brings the total number of Housing First tenancies started between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2025 to 1,502. All tenants are in a permanent tenancy and are not in temporary accommodation.

339 tenancies have now ended. It should be noted that a Housing First tenancy may end due to an individual choosing to move to an alternative housing option that meets their needs, including supported accommodation.  200 people have now moved into the ‘step down’ phase; and a further 194 are in the ‘stand down’ phase of Housing First.

Table A: Total number of tenancies started in each local authority between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2025 and latest 6-month return.

1 April 2021 and 30 September 2025

Local Authority	Tenancies
Scotland	1502[7]
Renfrewshire	156
Fife	142
Glasgow City	140
Aberdeenshire	127
City of Edinburgh	109
North Ayrshire	96
North Lanarkshire	89
Midlothian	82
Dundee City	74
Aberdeen City	59
Inverclyde	59
West Dunbartonshire	57
Stirling	45
Moray	29
Falkirk	28
South Ayrshire	26
Perth & Kinross	24
South Lanarkshire	23
Dumfries & Galloway	21
Scottish Borders	21
West Lothian	18
East Lothian	16
Angus	15
Argyll & Bute	15
East Ayrshire	15
Western Isles	8
Highland	8

1 April 25 – 30 September 25

Local Authority	Tenancies
Scotland	156
Renfrewshire	24
Fife	16
Glasgow City	16
Aberdeenshire	15
City of Edinburgh	14
North Ayrshire	13
Aberdeen City	12
Dundee City	8
Moray	6
North Lanarkshire	5
Argyll & Bute	less than 5
East Lothian	less than 5
Highland	less than 5
Falkirk	less than 5
West Dunbartonshire	less than 5
West Lothian	less than 5
Perth & Kinross	less than 5
Inverclyde	less than 5
Midlothian	less than 5
South Ayrshire	less than 5
Stirling	less than 5
Angus	0
Dumfries & Galloway	0
East Ayrshire	0
Western Isles	0
Scottish Borders	0
South Lanarkshire	0

Table B: Total number of tenancies started in each local authority each reporting year between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2025 between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2025

Local Authority	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5 (F6M*)
Aberdeen City	14	10	10	13	12
Aberdeenshire	39	21	32	20	15
Angus	7	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	0
Argyll & Bute	0	less than 5	7	0	less than 5
Dumfries & Galloway	6	5	6	less than 5	0
Dundee City	12	23	18	13	8
East Ayrshire	less than 5	5	less than 5	less than 5	0
East Lothian	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	5	less than 5
City of Edinburgh	25	20	27	23	14
Western Isles	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	0	0
Falkirk	14	5	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5
Fife	13	15	48	50	16
Glasgow City	41	34	29	20	16
Highland	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	0	less than 5
Inverclyde	10	16	18	14	less than 5
Midlothian	22	19	20	20	less than 5
Moray	0	6	10	7	6
North Ayrshire	22	22	16	23	13
North Lanarkshire	27	23	8	26	5
Perth & Kinross	0	0	16	6	less than 5
Renfrewshire	29	44	20	39	24
Scottish Borders	6	less than 5	9	less than 5	0
South Ayrshire	8	7	5	5	less than 5
South Lanarkshire	10	6	5	less than 5	0
Stirling	16	9	13	6	less than 5
West Dunbartonshire	29	15	less than 5	8	less than 5
West Lothian	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5

*F6M = First 6 months

Information was gathered on whether or not households had a homelessness application (HL1) and/or Housing Options (PREVENT1) approach recorded. Data shows that 90% of Housing First participants had a homelessness application, and 66% had a Housing Options[8] approach recorded.

Household Characteristics

The data for this section is based on the main Housing First participant in ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies which began between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2025.

Gender          

Across the 1163 ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies, 63.7% of the main Housing First tenants are male and 35.8% are female, under 1% identify as other.

Chart 1: The household composition of Housing First tenancies.

Household Type	Percentage
Single Male	61.3%
Single Female	29.8%
Single Parent	6.7%
Couple	0.9%
Other	0.8%
Couple with Children	0.5%

 ‘Single Parent’ includes both male and female data.

Chart 2: Housing First tenancies with children

Housing First Tenancies with Children

Tenancies with Children	Amount
End of Year 1	9
End of Year 2	37
End of Year 3	79
End of Year 4	77
Year 5 F6M	101

Number of Children residing

Number of Children residing	Amount
End of Year 1	18
End of Year 2	64
End of Year 3	144
End of Year 4	137
Year 5 F6M	147

Out of the 1,163 active Housing First tenancies, 101 tenancies include 174 children.

Chart 3: Housing First tenancies with access to children

Housing First Tenancies with access to Children

Tenancies with access to children	Amount
End of Year 1	36
End of Year 2	76
End of Year 3	106
End of Year 4	137
Year 5 F6M	147

Number of Children

Number of Children	Amount
End of Year 1	59
End of Year 2	115
End of Year 3	167
End of Year 4	215
Year 5 F6M	224

Households with access to children without full-time custody have only slightly increased but this could be due to the increase in children living in Housing first tenancies, with 147 households having access to 224 children but without full-time custody.

Age

Chart 4: Age of main Housing First participant at tenancy start date.

Age	Percentage
16-17	1.9%
18-24	16.5%
25-34	27.3%
35-49	40.0%
50-64	14.0%
65+	0.3%

Ethnicity

Chart 5: Ethnicity of the main Housing First tenant

Ethnicity	Percentage
White Scottish	93%
Other British	5%
Other ethnic group	3%

Chart 5 note: Chart percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Sexual orientation

Chart 6: Sexual orientation of the main Housing First tenant

Sexual orientation	Percentage
Heterosexual/ Straight	65%
Don’t know	28%
Prefer not to say	3%
Gay/Lesbian	2%
Bi-Sexual	1%

Chart 6 note: Chart percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Disability

Chart 7: Proportion of Housing First participants with a disability.

Disability status	Percentage
No	66%
Yes	26%
Don’t know	7%
Prefer not to say	1%

Housing First Tenancies

For the ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies which have begun since 1 April 2021, the average length of time between participants being referred for Housing First support and being offered a permanent tenancy is 202 days across the 26 local authorities. The average time from referral to permanent tenancy is 209.

Chart 8: Tenancy type of ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies.

Tenancy type	Percentage
LA Tenancy	69%
RSL	26%
PRS	5%

Of the 1,163 ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies, the proportion of local authority tenancies has decreased by 1% to 69%. Registered social landlords (RSLs) have provided a steady proportion of Housing First tenancies. 55 tenancies are either in the private rented sector (PRS) or ‘Other’.

Chart 9: Banded national average in days to access a permanent tenancy from referral date.

Days	Percentage
0-50	27.7%
51-100	17.2%
101-150	11.6%
151-200	10.9%
201-250	7.0%
251-300	6.3%
301-350	4.9%
351-450	4.4%
451-550	2.2%
551-650	1.7%
651-750	1.4%
751+	4.6%

Chart 9 shows that 27.7% of Housing First participants move into their tenancies within 50 days. The proportion of participants waiting over 350 days is 14.3%.

Referral Route

Chart 10: Referral route of Housing First participants.

Referral route	Percentage
Homelessness application	58%
Area housing office	10%
Third Sector	9%
Addiction referral	6%
Other	5%
Criminal Justice System	5%
Prison	4%
Through-care/ after-care	1%
Mental Health Referral	1%
Self-Referral	1%
Police/NHS	0.5%

Housing First Support

The data for this section is based on the main Housing First participant in 769 tenancies where support continues to be provided, and the tenancy is ‘live’. This excludes tenancies which are in the ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ phase.

Local authorities were asked to record the support that each Housing First participant is currently receiving or has previously received. Given the small numbers in a number of categories, information on ‘current’ and ‘previous’ support needs have been combined for disclosure control purposes.

Chart 11: Proportion of Housing First participants with support needs.

Support needs	Percentage
General Housing Support	96%
Accessing Benefits	85%
Upkeep of Tenancy	85%
Budgeting	85%
Mental Health	82%
Resettlement	77%
Safety/Security	72%
Drugs	72%
Criminal Activity	64%
Social Isolation	64%
Advocacy	52%
Physical Health	50%
Alcohol	49%
Exploitation	44%
Other	31%
Literacy	25%
Sexual Health	17%
Learning Disability	12%
Personal Care	8%

Chart 11 shows the proportion of participants who were recorded as having a ‘current’ or ‘previous’ support need across 19 categories.

Chart 12: Proportion of Housing First participants with support needs which are not catered for.

Support needs	Percentage
Mental Health	6.4%
Budgeting	5.9%
Drugs	4.4%
Alcohol	3.6%
Upkeep of Tenancy	3.4%
Exploitation	3.0%
Social Isolation	2.5%
Learning Disability	2.5%
Physical Health	2.2%
Sexual Health	2.1%
Advocacy	2.1%
Personal Care	2.1%
Other	2.0%
General Housing Support	1.6%
Safety/Security	1.4%
Literacy	1.0%
Criminal Activity	0.9%
Accessing Benefits	0.7%
Resettlement	0.7%

Chart 12 shows where support was required, but not provided, for Housing First participants across the same 19 categories. Over six percent of participants have unmet mental health support needs.

Chart 13: Housing First participants with current multiple support needs.

Support Areas	Percentage
Support 1-5 Areas	19%
Support 6-10 Areas	41%
Support 11-15 Areas	37%
Support 16+ Areas	3%

Chart 14: Housing First participants receiving support by provider.

Support provider	Percentage
Third and Independent Sector	67%
Health and Social Care Partnerships	58%
Alcohol and Drugs Partnership	56%
Mental Health Service	42%
Other	18%
Peer Support	10%

Chart 14 shows a breakdown of the services involved in delivering support to Housing First tenancies.

Chart 15: Housing First participants receiving support from multiple support providers.

Support Providers	Percentage
0 Support Providers	8%
1 Support Provider	19%
2 Support Providers	21%
3 Support Providers	22%
4 Support Providers	20%
5 Support Providers	7%
6+ Support Providers	3%

Chart 15 note: Informal support was also provided for 32% of Housing First participants. Chart percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Chart 15 provides detail of the number of partners providing Housing First support. In 19% of Housing First tenancies, support was provided solely by one provider, likely where a local authority has undertaken a procurement exercise to commission Housing First support from an external provider. 8% of participants were recorded as having no support provider and 32% receive informal support.

Employment status

27 Housing First participants are employed either full-time or part-time, 12 participants are engaged in voluntary work, and 10 are involved in training schemes or in higher education.

Summary

This report highlights the continued steady growth of Housing First in Scotland, with 1,320 tenancies started since 2021 and an 83% tenancy sustainment rate for tenancies over 12 months. Positive progress includes reduced referral-to-tenancy wait times. However, challenges persist, such as continued regional disparities in tenancy uptake, long wait times for some participants and unmet mental health support needs.

The Scottish Government’s Housing Emergency Action Plan reaffirms our commitment to improving housing options for people with multiple and complex needs. This includes £3 million for a Housing First capital expansion scheme and a £1 million Housing First focused rapid rehousing uplift for 2025/26. We expect to see the impact of this investment reflected in the next two reporting periods (end of year 5 and start of year 6).