Public Health Scotland warns of deepening health inequalities as homelessness reaches record levels

The Health and Homelessness Briefing, published this week, sets out the scale of the crisis and calls for coordinated, rights‑based action to prevent people reaching the point of losing their home.

PHS says the evidence is now “unambiguous”: homelessness is both a cause and consequence of severe health inequalities, with people experiencing homelessness facing significantly higher risks of physical and mental ill‑health, premature mortality, and repeated contact with crisis services.

The briefing highlights the latest national statistics for 2024/25, showing:

• 40,688 homelessness applications, down 1% on the previous year
• 34,067 households assessed as homeless or at risk, up 0.3%
• 17,240 households in temporary accommodation, including 10,180 children – a 6% annual rise
• An average stay of 280 days in temporary accommodation, increasing to 386 days for families with children

PHS notes that Scotland’s strong legal rights to housing remain a cornerstone of its approach, but the system is now under unprecedented strain. The country has 18,092 households in temporary accommodation, the highest level ever recorded.

The report stresses that homelessness rarely occurs in isolation. It is often linked to mental ill‑health, substance use, domestic abuse, relationship breakdown, and involvement with the criminal justice system. Crucially, most people experiencing homelessness in Scotland do not sleep rough; instead, they are living in temporary accommodation, sofa‑surfing, or staying in insecure and unstable arrangements.

PHS argues that early intervention is essential. Support with housing, income, employment, and access to specialist health and social care can prevent homelessness or help people exit it quickly. But too often, homelessness occurs only after repeated contact with non‑housing services, particularly mental health and substance use services.

The briefing concludes that preventing homelessness requires tackling its “fundamental causes – such as the unequal distribution of income, power and wealth”. It warns that providing accommodation alone is not enough without the right support to sustain a tenancy.

The impacts of homelessness, it says, are “profound, immediate, and often cumulative”, affecting physical health, mental wellbeing, safety, dignity, sleep, and family stability. The financial cost is also significant, with disproportionate use of emergency and acute services.

Crisis Scotland: ‘Public health is central to ending homelessness’

Responding to the findings, Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications at Crisis Scotland, said the briefing reinforces the urgent need for joined‑up support: “Public health is central to ending homelessness. This report shows, once again, the devastating impact of homelessness on health, and that investing in physical and mental health support helps people find and keep a home.”

She highlighted the stark cost difference between prevention and crisis response: each case of homelessness costs around £28,000, while prevention can cost under £3,000.

With the Holyrood election now concluded, McGoldrick said political parties must move quickly to deliver on their commitments: “We’re a week on from the Holyrood election. The countdown has begun for political parties that pledged to end homelessness. Now is the time to turn the ambition of ending homelessness by 2040 into reality.”