Scotland's housing crisis deepens as number of children in temporary accommodation at record high

More Scots are struggling to put a roof over their heads after SNP ministers slashed the affordable housing budget.

Scotland's housing crisis has deepened as the number of children stuck living in temporary accommodation has reached a record high.

The "scandalous" figures published by the Scottish Government today show 10,100 kids were staying with their families in B&Bs or hotels as of March 31 this year, an increase of five per cent on 2023.

The total number of households living in temporary accommodation reached 16,330 in the same period, a rise of nine per cent in just one year.

The number of Scots who said they had slept rough the night before applying for help also rose from from 1,493 to 1,916.

It comes at a time the number of new homes built for social rent has plummeted by 25 per cent.

SNP ministers previously slashed almost £200 million from the affordable housing budget

"This give us a clear picture into the continued and unacceptable housing pressures Scotland faces," Aoife Deery of Citizen Advice Scotland said.

"Action is needed urgently if we’re going to see improvements in Scotland’s housing sector. We know that far too many people are experiencing real harm right now."

"These scandalous figures should be a source of shame for SNP ministers," said Scottish Conservatives housing spokesman Miles Briggs.

"They might have finally agreed with calls from the Scottish Conservatives, councils and housing organisations that there is a housing emergency in Scotland but their disgraceful inaction is leading to homelessness levels rising all the time.

"Most shockingly, an increasing number of children are homeless, and our young people also spend the longest time stuck in temporary accommodation which is often wholly unsuitable for living in.

"This is the effect of SNP ministers cutting almost £200 million from the housing budget at a time of an ever-growing crisis in our communities.

Paul McLennan, the Housing Minister, said: "These figures are deeply concerning and I know the lack of a settled home seriously affects people’s health and life chances.

"They demonstrate the scale of the challenge we face in tackling the housing emergency and I am determined to work with partners to reverse this trend.

"Working with representatives from across the housing sector is crucial. We have made record funding of more than £14 billion available to councils in 2024-25 to deliver a range of services, including in homelessness services, and we will continue to support councils to tackle the crisis.

"However, we must stop homelessness from happening in the first place and ensure affordable homes are available when people need them, we are taking action on both fronts.

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"We have a strong track record in supporting the delivery of affordable homes with more than 133,000 homes completed since 2007, including more than 94,000 social rented homes.

"We will continue to build on that record with a total investment of almost £600 million in affordable housing this year."

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