Devastating rise in number of Scots homeless last Christmas

Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Paul McGarry has said the homeless crisis is deepening on the SNP’s watch, as he revealed there were 1,500 more Scots homeless last Christmas compared to the previous year.

A parliamentary question submitted by the party has revealed that on 25th December 2024:

• There were 31,583 live homeless applications, an increase of more than 1,000 compared to Christmas Day 2023.
• These applications covered 36,730 adults and 17,211 children. This is 1,578 more people facing homeless than on 25th December 2023.
• The local authority with the highest number of homelessness applications was Edinburgh with 7,710 live applications covering 9,351 adults and 4,390 children.
• Other local authorities recording the highest number of homeless individuals were Glasgow (6,605 applications), Fife (1,684), South Lanarkshire (1,592) and West Lothian (1,270).
• It comes as the numbers of people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping hit record levels in 2024/25

To tackle homelessness, Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for:

• More affordable homes to help address homelessness.
• The introduction of help to renovate loans to bring derelict homes back into use.
• An increase in the number of homes constructed for social rent and to re-establish social rent as a valid, long-term option for people.
• Action to address the additional challenges for young homeless people with special pathways to link suitable jobs and training to housing.

Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson and the party’s candidate for Central Scotland and Lothians West, Paul McGarry said:

“At Christmas, most of us look forward to a safe and warm home, but every year there are tens of thousands of Scots who are not so fortunate.

“The devastating rise in those facing homelessness shows just how badly the SNP have failed to address this emergency. They have made a series of harmful choices, including axing funding for housing in the middle of housing crisis.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have a realistic plan to tackle a lack of availability, sky-rocketing prices and poor-quality homes. We worked hard to secure more funding for affordable homes earlier this year, and we’ll keep up the pressure on ministers to deliver on that commitment.

“We want to see change with fairness at its heart, and that starts by confronting the housing crisis head-on: getting more homes built, maximising existing stock and giving everyone a safe place to call home.

"If you are disgusted by the SNP's failure to build enough homes, no matter where you are, you can back Scottish Liberal Democrats on the peach regional ballot paper next year and deliver the change that Scotland needs. Scotland deserves better. And with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you can vote for it.”