Homelessness charity Emmaus Glasgow is reaching out to people who are homeless or at risk of losing their home, as new figures show homelessness applications in Scotland have reached a 12-year high.
According to figures published by the Scottish government on Tuesday (24 September), 40,685 homelessness applications were received by local authorities Scotland in the period from April 1 2023 to March 31 2024, a rise of 4% from the previous year.
Glasgow experienced the largest number of homelessness applications at 7,725 from 6,742 previously, an increase of 15%.
According to the Scottish Government, Glasgow experienced increases across almost all of its homelessness services:
- Of the 33,619 households were assessed as homeless in Scotland, 6,199 or 18% assessments were made by Glasgow City Council.
- 9,672 people were associated with homelessness applications in Glasgow out of 53,549 in Scotland.
- Glasgow reported 3,727 households in temporary accommodation compared with 16,330 nationally, with the highest in Edinburgh at 3,817.
- One in three people sleeping rough for at least one night before asking their local authority for help went to Glasgow City Council for support (640), of a total of 1,915 applications in Scotland.
Emmaus Glasgow provides a home, support, training and work opportunities for people with experience of homelessness.
Richard Allwood, Chief Executive Officer of Emmaus Glasgow, said: “It is important to remember that behind each of these statistics are people who have been pushed to crisis point.
“Emmaus UK is receiving unprecedented numbers of referrals for support from the 30+ Emmaus communities and groups across England, Scotland and Wales and has called on the UK Government to prioritise homelessness and housing. The Emmaus Action on Homelessness manifesto highlights what we are fighting for, to make sure homelessness support and prevention is prioritised.
“Emmaus Glasgow is committed to providing more than a home from homelessness. This charity continues to provide individualised support, training and work opportunities to help people rebuild their lives, and go on to help themselves by helping others.”
In addition to its homelessness provision, Emmaus Glasgow carries out acts of solidarity to support people in need. People supported by the homelessness charity regularly join volunteers, Emmaus Glasgow and their charity partners to provide weekly Wednesday soup kitchens on Cadogan Street in the city centre.
Responding to demand, Emmaus Glasgow opened a Sunday soup kitchen to support people in poverty with food and essentials that runs every other week and recently supported families at a local school to ensure no child went hungry over the school holidays.
Commenting on the publication of these figures in the media, Scotland’s Housing Minister Paul McLennan 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.
“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.”
To get help from Emmaus Glasgow, you can find out more about our packages of long-term support and make an application.