In September 2024 the Scottish Government’s homelessness statistics release showed a grim picture for housing in Scotland with record numbers of children in temporary accommodation and families denied their housing rights. However, these statistics don’t just show the housing system in Scotland is broken, it’s biased too. Analysis of equalities stats shows us that Black People and People of Colour (BPoC) in Scotland are at the sharp end of the housing emergency.
Why are people of colour overrepresented in the homelessness system?
The latest census data tells us that 7.2% of Scotland’s population are BPoC but in 2023/24 they
- Made up 13% of households assessed as or threatened with homelessness
- BPoC are also overrepresented in rough sleeping statistics at an alarming rate with 54% of those who had rough slept in the three months prior to their homelessness application in 2023/24 being BPoC.
The statistics show us that this problem is getting worse, while applications from White Scottish households have been stagnating (evidence that the Scottish Government is not doing enough to tackle homelessness) application for BPoC groups went up from 2022/23 to 2023/24 by 31%.
BPoC in Scotland are more likely to become homeless in part because they are overrepresented in the private rented sector (PRS). As rents across Scotland skyrocket it is unsurprising that more families of colour are becoming homeless. Of all households assessed as or threatened with homelessness, families of colour were the most likely to have lived in a private rental before becoming homeless. Evidence also tells us that while BPoC have on average higher poverty rates than White Scots, they also pay more for their housing due to this overrepresentation in the PRS. These factors combined with decades of systemic discrimination, lower average incomes and lower uptake of social security payments create the perfect storm for homelessness. Research conducted by Shelter Scotland and Heriot Watt University also shows significant barriers faced by BPoC when accessing social housing. Black People and People of Colour are far more likely to be without a safe and secure place to call home.
Temporary Accommodation
Households of colour aren’t just more likely to become homeless. Inequality continues to be a factor once people enter into the homelessness system.
- 27% of those requiring temporary accommodation who were not offered it were BPoC.
- 28% of breaches of the unsuitable accommodation order are BPoC led households, often because of false perceptions about their legal entitlements due to their immigration status.
- Every week 40 families of colour are denied temporary accommodation they are legally entitled to.
BPoC households in temporary accommodation wait on average 70 days longer (25% longer) than White Scottish households to move into permanent accommodation. African households spend the longest time in temporary accommodation of all groups, 1.6x longer than white Scottish household – staying stuck for 127 days more than a White households.
What is the role of migration?
Higher levels of migration alone do not sufficiently explain why BPoC have such poor outcomes in the housing system. It is important to note that asylum seekers and refugees are not represented within these statistics unless they have been granted leave to remain and that the numbers of BPoC within the homelessness system also include significant numbers of people born in Scotland.
When it comes to refugees and asylum seekers entering the system Scotland has a positive track record of welcoming and housing those fleeing war and persecution. Of all groups White Ukrainian people wait the least amount of time to secure permanent accommodation, largely because of specific UK government schemes designed to resettle those fleeing war. This demonstrates that targeted interventions for vulnerable groups are possible and can create positive outcomes. But we haven’t seen the same approach to all who come to Scotland for safety and shelter. The hostile environment policies of successive UK governments drive families into homelessness, inhibiting many asylum seekers and refugees from working, accessing social security payments and finding a safe home in Scotland.
What do we still not know?
We cannot win the fight for home without fighting systemic racism. These statistics clearly show that the housing emergency disproportionately impacts racialised communities in Scotland. However, there are still huge gaps in the data that make it harder to see exactly what the impact of systemic racism is on housing in sufficient detail. For instance, while we know how many people of each ethnicity become homeless, we are not able to examine how many women of colour become homeless or how many disabled people of colour are denied their rights to suitable temporary accommodation. Therefore, we are limited in our ability to make an intersectional analysis of how the housing emergency impacts those who face multiple marginalisations. Ethnicity categories used in homelessness applications additionally often do not match how people identify their own ethnicity which can lead to underreporting and misreporting. In order to fight racism within our housing system much more must be done to understand its impact.