SNP and Greens to carve a third off housing budget as homelessness hits new record

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today criticised the SNP and Green Government’s plans to carve off a third from the housing budget after new figures revealed that the number of homelessness applications in Scotland is the highest since records began.

The figures show that up to 30th September 2023 there were:

• 30,724 open applications for homelessness, which is up 10% since last year and the highest since records began in 2002;
• 9,860 children in temporary accommodation, which is up 8% since last year;
• 15,625 households were in temporary accommodation, which is also up from 8% since last year;
• 1,408 applications for homelessness that reported a household member experiencing rough sleeping in the three months before the application was made, and 888 the night before. These are both increases compared to the same period in 2022.  

Mr Rennie said:

“On the day the government wants Parliament to support a huge cut to the housing budget, we find that homelessness is at a record high.

“The SNP’s disastrous budget drives a coach and horse through any pretence that this government cares about the housing emergency.

“Meanwhile, the SNP have failed to build thousands of homes promised for social rent.

“People need a government which can guarantee that they will have a safe and secure roof over their heads- that should be a basic minimum. That’s why Liberal Democrats would re-establish social renting as a long-term option and bring thousands of long-term empty homes back into use.”