Scottish Housing Market Review: Q1 2025

9. Homelessness

In Q3 2024, there was a small fall in the number of households who applied as homeless (down 4.5% from Q2 2024) as well as those who were assessed as homeless (down 9.3%). However, looking over a longer time period to smooth any volatility in the data, applications were up by 2.2% over the four quarters to Q3 2024 relative to the preceding four quarters, while the number of households assessed as homeless was up by 2.9%.

The number of households in temporary accommodation stood at 16,634 at the end of Q3 2024; meanwhile, there were 10,360 children in temporary accommodation. Both of these are at their highest level since comparable records began. The proportion of households in temporary accommodation who are in a Bed & Breakfast stood at 16% on 30 September 2024, as compared with 12% on 30 September 2023 and 10% on 30 September 2022. Over Q3 2024, the share of applications where at least one member of the household experienced rough sleeping the night before their application was 6%, the highest since 2008-09, and the share where at least one member had experienced rough sleeping in the three months prior to their application was 9%, the highest since 2009-10.

Source: Scottish Government. Note: Applications and assessments refer to the number over the quarter, while temporary accommodation figures refer to the number at the end of the quarter.