Housing First: monitoring reports

1 October 2024 to  31 March 2025

The data collected by the Scottish Government captures Housing First tenancies which started between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2025. Prior to this date, data on Housing First tenancies in the pathfinder areas was independently assessed and published. This data is estimated and produced to inform policy delivery and development. 

Key points 

Tenancies in Scotland  

It is estimated that a total of 2154[1] Housing First tenancies have started across Scotland at 31 March 2025.

New Tenancies

Between 1 October  2024 and 31 March 2025, 113 new Housing First tenancies were started, with an additional three reported that commenced before 1 October  2024, totalling 116 new tenancies. Two tenancies were removed due to duplication. This brings the total number of tenancies started since 1 April 2021 to 1320[2].

Active Tenancies 

Of the 1,320 tenancies started since 1 April 2021, 1,032 tenancies remain active. A total of 288 tenancies have ended, one due to eviction.

Transition Phases

Currently, 211 tenancies are in the 'step down' phase, and 120 are in the 'stand down' phase. [3]

Household Composition

Within 1,032 active tenancies there are 1050 adults and 137 children, with an additional 136 households having access to 214 children but without full-time custody.

Children residing in Housing First

14 local authorities have 77 tenancies in which 137 children are resident [4].

Average Waiting Time

The average time from referral to permanent tenancy is 255 days,  with 27% moving into their tenancy within 50 days.

Demographics

90% 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% over 12 months after entry[6].

Housing First across Scotland

As of 31 March 2025, 26 local authorities are operating a Housing First programme, with one local authority withdrawing from the provision of a Housing First programme in the reporting period. Six authorities are not planning on delivering a Housing First programme or have an alternative support programme in place.

This monitoring report captures Housing First tenancies which have begun across 25 local authorities who are currently delivering Housing First, with one local authority not providing data in this period. The latest data shows varying levels of tenancy delivery across different regions, with Fife, North Ayrshire, Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire starting the highest number of tenancies in this reporting period.

Tenancies

113 new Housing First tenancies started across 16 local authorities between 1 October 2024 and 31 March 2025. Ten local authorities reported zero new tenancies during this period, and one withdrew from Housing First provision. This brings the total number of Housing First tenancies started to 1,320 between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2025. All tenants are in a permanent tenancy and are not in temporary accommodation.

288 tenancies have now ended; 211 people have now moved into the ‘step down’ phase; and a further 120 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 31 March 2025 and latest six-month return

1 April 21 to 31 March 25   

Local Authority	Tenancies
Scotland	1320[7]
Renfrewshire	132
Fife	124
Glasgow City	121
Aberdeenshire	112
City of Edinburgh	95
North Lanarkshire	84
North Ayrshire	82
Midlothian	80
Dundee City	60
Inverclyde	54
West Dunbartonshire	54
Aberdeen City	47
Stirling	44
Falkirk	25
South Ayrshire	24
Moray	23
South Lanarkshire	23
Perth & Kinross	21
Scottish Borders	21
Dumfries & Galloway	20
Angus	15
East Ayrshire	15
East Lothian	12
Argyll & Bute	11
West Lothian	9
Western Isles	8
Highland	less than 5

1 October 24 to 31 March 25

Local Authority	Tenancies
Scotland	113
Fife	23
North Ayrshire	16
City of Edinburgh	14
North Lanarkshire	12
Renfrewshire	10
Aberdeenshire	9
Glasgow City	8
Midlothian	8
East Ayrshire	less than 5
East Lothian	less than 5
Moray	less than 5
West Dunbartonshire	less than 5
Angus	less than 5
Falkirk	less than 5
Inverclyde	less than 5
Perth & Kinross	less than 5
Aberdeen City	-
Argyll & Bute	-
Dumfries & Galloway	-
Dundee City	-
Western Isles	-
Highland	-
South Ayrshire	-
South Lanarkshire	-
Scottish Borders	-
Stirling	-
West Lothian	-

Table B: Total number of tenancies started in each local authority each reporting year between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2025

Local Authority	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4
Aberdeen City	14	10	10	13
Aberdeenshire	39	21	32	20
Angus	7	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5
Argyll & Bute	0	less than 5	7	0
Dumfries & Galloway	6	5	6	less than 5
Dundee City	12	23	17	8
East Ayrshire	less than 5	5	less than 5	less than 5
East Lothian	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	5
City of Edinburgh	25	20	27	23
Western Isles	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	0
Falkirk	14	5	less than 5	less than 5
Fife	13	15	48	48
Glasgow City	40	34	29	18
Highland	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	0
Inverclyde	10	16	18	10
Midlothian	22	19	20	19
Moray	0	6	10	7
North Ayrshire	21	22	16	23
North Lanarkshire	27	23	8	26
Perth & Kinross	0	0	16	5
Renfrewshire	29	44	20	39
Scottish Borders	6	less than 5	9	less than 5
South Ayrshire	8	7	5	less than 5
South Lanarkshire	10	6	5	less than 5
Stirling	16	9	13	6
West Dunbartonshire	29	15	less than 5	8
West Lothian	less than 5	less than 5	less than 5	0

Information was gathered on whether or not households had a homelessness application (HL1) and/or Housing Options (PREVENT1) approach recorded. Data shows that 89% 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 31 March 2025.

Gender     

Across the 1032 ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies, 64% of the main Housing First tenants are male and 36% are female.

Chart 1: The household composition of Housing First tenancies

Household Type	Percentage
Single Male	61.7%
Single Female	30.4%
Single Parent	5.8%
Couple	0.9%
Other	0.8%
Couple with Children	0.3%

Chart 1 note: 92% of Housing First households are single people. ‘Single Parent’ includes both male and female data.

Chart 2: 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

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

Out of the 1032 active Housing First tenancies, 77 tenancies include 137 children. This is a reduction on the figures previously reported due to a review and correction of data submitted.  

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

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

Households with access to children without full-time custody increased, with 137 households having access to 215 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	17.2%
25-34	27.8%
35-49	39.8%
50-64	13.2%
65+	0.2%

Ethnicity

Chart 5: Ethnicity of the main Housing First tenant

Ethnicity	Percentage
White Scottish	94%
Other British	3%
Other ethnic group	3%

Sexual orientation

Chart 6: Sexual orientation of the main Housing First tenant

Sexual orientation	Percentage
Heterosexual/ Straight	66%
Don’t know	27%
Prefer not to say	4%
Gay/Lesbian	2%
Bi-Sexual	1%

Local authorities have been asked to collect information on the sexual orientation of the main Housing First participant. Due to this data not being collected in some local authorities and the potentially sensitive nature of this question, many responses were initially recorded as unknown.

Disability

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

Disability status	Percentage
No	63%
Yes	30%
Don’t know	6%
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 222 days across the 26 local authorities. This is a slight increase from 218 days in the previous reporting period. The average time from referral to permanent tenancy is 255, which again is a slight increase on 247 days in the previous reporting period.

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

Tenancy type	Percentage
LA Tenancy	70%
RSL	26%
PRS	4%

Of the 1032 ‘live’, ‘step down’ or ‘stand down’ tenancies, the proportion of local authority tenancies has increased by 2% to 70%. Registered social landlords (RSLs) have provided a steady proportion of Housing First tenancies over the last three reporting periods. 44 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	27.1%
51-100	17.2%
101-150	11.8%
151-200	10.9%
201-250	7.5%
251-300	6.3%
301-350	4.2%
351-450	3.8%
451-550	2.0%
551-650	1.7%
651-750	1.2%
751+	6.3%

Chart 9 shows that 27.1% of Housing First participants move into their tenancies within 50 days, an increase of 8.6% on the previous period. The proportion of participants waiting over 350 days is 15%. This is a slight drop from 17.4% in the previous reporting period. This average has been calculated on a national basis due to the small number of tenancies in some local authority areas at present.

Referral route

Chart 10: Referral route of Housing First participants

Referral route	Percentage
Homelessness application	57.74%
Area housing office	10.42%
Third Sector	9.06%
Addiction referral	5.65%
Other	5.16%
Criminal Justice System	5.06%
Prison	3.51%
Through-care/ after-care	1.17%
Mental Health Referral	1.07%
Self-Referral	0.68%
Police/NHS	0.49%

Housing First support

The data for this section is based on the main Housing First participant in 701 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%
Budgeting	86%
Upkeep of Tenancy	84%
Accessing Benefits	84%
Mental Health	83%
Resettlement	79%
Drugs	73%
Safety/Security	71%
Social Isolation	63%
Criminal Activity	63%
Advocacy	52%
Alcohol	49%
Physical Health	49%
Exploitation	43%
Other	32%
Literacy	28%
Sexual Health	18%
Learning Disability	12%
Personal Care	7%

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	7.0%
Budgeting	4.4%
Drugs	4.3%
Exploitation	3.6%
Alcohol	3.4%
Upkeep of Tenancy	3.1%
Learning Disability	2.9%
Physical Health	2.7%
Social Isolation	2.7%
Personal Care	2.6%
Advocacy	2.3%
Sexual Health	2.3%
Other	1.6%
Safety/Security	1.4%
Literacy	1.3%
General Housing Support	1.3%
Criminal Activity	1.0%
Resettlement	0.4%
Accessing Benefits	0.3%

Chart 12 shows where support was required, but not provided, for Housing First participants across the same 19 categories. Seven percent of participants require mental health support which is not provided.

Chart 13: Housing First participants with current multiple support needs

Support Areas	Percentage
Support 1-5 Areas	19%
Support 6-10 Areas	43%
Support 11-15 Areas	36%
Support 16+ Areas	2%

Chart 14: Housing First participants receiving support by provider

Support provider	Percentage
Third and Independent Sector	67%
Health and Social Care Partnerships	59%
Alcohol and Drugs Partnership	57%
Mental Health Service	41%
Other	18%
Peer Support	11%

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	9%
1 Support Provider	20%
2 Support Providers	21%
3 Support Providers	22%
4 Support Providers	19%
5 Support Providers	8%
6+ Support Providers	2%

Chart 15 note: Informal support was also provided for 36% 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 20% 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. 9% of participants were recorded as having no support provider and 36% receive informal support.

Employment status

25 Housing First participants are employed either full-time or part-time, and 12 participants are engaged in voluntary work.

Summary

In conclusion, Housing First in Scotland continues to provide stable housing for individuals with some of the most complex needs, with over 1,300 tenancies started and over 1,000 still active since April 2021. However, the pace of growth has slowed with a 40% drop in new tenancies since the first six-month period; an overall 11% drop on Year 3 figures. While a core group of leading local authorities is actively advancing Housing First, many show limited or no activity.

The recent decline in new tenancies, variations in local delivery, and unmet support needs -particularly in mental health - highlights ongoing challenges. The data reinforces the importance of consistent delivery, sufficient housing supply, and accessible support services to maintain and build on current progress.

Footnotes