More than 17,000 children were homeless in Scotland last Christmas, figures show

More than 17,000 children in Scotland were homeless last Christmas, figures obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats show.

The figures from the Scottish Government show that on December 25 2023, there were 30,557 live homelessness applications, covering 35,361 adults and 17,002 children.

This is an overall increase of more than 2,000 applications from the previous year.

In May, the Scottish Parliament declared a nationwide housing emergency following similar declarations from a number of local councils.

The Government said it is boosting the supply of affordable housing and aiming to reduce the need for families to stay in temporary accommodation.

Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Paul McGarry was himself homeless at the age of 16.

He said: “At Christmas time, most of us can count on a secure roof over our heads, but tens of thousands of Scots are not so fortunate.

“A lack of availability, skyrocketing prices and poor-quality housing has made life miserable for so many. The SNP have compounded those problems by previously slashing the housing budget by a quarter and failing to build the thousands of homes promised for social rent.

“Homelessness takes a severe toll on people’s mental and physical health. It also sets back children’s development in a way that can leave them worse off for life.

“After almost two decades at the helm, the SNP have failed to make a dent.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We have a strong track record in affordable housing, having supported the delivery of 135,000 affordable homes since 2007. That’s 47% more per head of population than England and 73% more than Wales.

“We want to ramp up that delivery by increasing the affordable housing supply budget to £768 million next year. This investment will help tackle the housing emergency while contributing towards our target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.

“In 2024-25, we are providing all local authorities an annual share of £8 million to support the implementation of their rapid rehousing transition plans, which play a key role in supporting people into a settled home and reducing the need for temporary accommodation.

“Housing First is an important part of our rapid rehousing approach, offering people with multiple and complex needs a safe, secure home first from which any unmet support needs can then be met.”