The number of children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland has reached an all-time high, new figures reveal.
As of September 2025, 18,092 households and 10,480 children were residing in temporary housing – rises of 9% and 1% respectively compared to the previous year. The number of open homeless cases also hit a record high, alongside a marked increase in reports of rough sleeping.
However, households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness fell slightly, as did the total number of homeless assistance applications. By September, 33,006 households had open homeless assistance applications with their local authority, representing a 4% increase on 2024. Applications from refugees or those with leave-to-remain status accounted for 16% of this total, up 51% year-on-year.
Between April and September last year, almost 2,100 households reported a member experiencing rough sleeping in the preceding three months, and nearly 1,500 reported rough sleeping the night before – increases of 16% and 24% respectively. The number of households not offered temporary accommodation, including council properties, hostels, and B&Bs, rose from 7,565 to 10,710.
Yet some figures were more positive: the number of adults in homeless households fell by 4% to 19,469, while the number of children decreased by 14% to 7,304.
In 2024, ministers declared a national housing emergency and pledged up to £4.9bn for affordable homes over four years. By September 2025, 31,064 affordable homes had been completed, although total housebuilding fell 5% and completions dropped 8% compared to the previous year.
Recent housing reforms allow councils to cap rent increases in designated areas, strengthen tenant protections, and introduce a “gold standard” in homeless prevention. First Minister John Swinney has also announced plans to establish a national housing agency to accelerate homebuilding.
Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “The number of people assessed as homeless and seeking support has fallen, which is encouraging. However, there is still much to do. We are determined to turn the tide and ensure everyone has the opportunity of a place to call home.”
McAllan added that housing services remain under “severe pressure” due to what she described as the Home Office’s “mismanagement of the asylum system, particularly in Glasgow,” which hosts around 3,800 asylum seekers – the highest outside London. Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken previously warned that the city had effectively “run out of temporary accommodation.”
Shelter Scotland director Alison Watson said: “These figures show how high levels of homelessness are increasingly being accepted as the new normal. Social housing delivery remains too little, too slow, and too late for Scotland’s homeless children in temporary accommodation.”
Councillor Maureen Chalmers, COSLA spokesperson for community wellbeing, described the figures as “disappointing” but noted that some progress had been made, including fewer breaches of unsuitable accommodation orders.
Scottish Conservative housing spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher called the statistics “appalling,” urging the SNP to cut red tape, boost investment, and deliver new homes. Scottish Labour’s Mark Griffin said Swinney should “hang his head in shame,” describing the situation as “the worst point ever” for children stuck in temporary accommodation.