How Scotland's housing crisis is tearing families apart
In March this year, there were more than 5,400 households living in ‘temporary’ accommodation in Edinburgh – and some find themselves forced to move repeatedly over periods lasting years
Access to adequate housing isn’t a luxury, it’s a fundamental right. Yet every week, my office hears from families in crisis, caught in a system that appears more focused on managing scarcity than delivering solutions.
Across Edinburgh and the Lothians, families with young children are being forced to spend years in unsuitable temporary accommodation, often in distressing, overcrowded, and even unsafe conditions. These are not isolated incidents. This is a systemic failure.
On June 5, I raised this issue in the Scottish Parliament, asking the government for a clear update on efforts to reduce the time families spend in temporary housing. While the response highlighted funding schemes and affordable housing initiatives, these promises ring hollow for my constituents, families like Laura’s, Stacey’s and Sofiane’s, who remain trapped with no end in sight.
This is not just a local challenge; it is the direct result of years of under-investment and short-term thinking in national housing policy. The Scottish Government's inability to construct enough truly affordable homes has left councils overwhelmed and under resourced, forced to make impossible decisions and manage an emergency they did not create.
‘Left in limbo’, ‘utterly forgotten’
Laura has lived in temporary accommodation in South Queensferry for nearly four years. Since March, her family has been battling an ongoing bed bug infestation that has destroyed their belongings and forced them to sleep in one room.
Despite contacting the City of Edinburgh Council, the managing agent, and others, no permanent solution has been provided. “Despite doing everything asked of us… We have been left in limbo with no one taking full responsibility,” Laura wrote.
Another constituent, Stacey, has been stuck in temporary accommodation in Drylaw for six years. Initially, she was told she would be moved into permanent housing within two years, but that promise was never fulfilled.
Her mental health has deteriorated. Her youngest daughter, who is suspected to have ADHD and autism, struggles in an environment with no stability or privacy. Stacey hasn’t even been allowed to hang proper curtains.
“I feel utterly forgotten by the system that was meant to help us,” she said. “We all deserve a safe, secure, and stable home where we can finally begin to heal.”
Facing homelessness
Sofiane’s story is another urgent reminder of how this housing crisis is tearing families apart. A father of three who lived in Scotland for over a decade without seeking public assistance, yet now he faces eviction, and his family is on the brink of homelessness.
Despite exhausting every option to find private housing, he continues to struggle. Sofiane fears for his children’s health, safety, and development. “All I want is a secure, stable home where my children can grow up safely and with dignity,” he says. However, even that, in today’s Edinburgh, feels heartbreakingly out of reach.
These are not exceptions. It’s a reflection of a system failing the very families it should protect.
According to Shelter Scotland, the number of children trapped in temporary accommodation across the country has reached record levels. In many cases, families are being forced to move multiple times, uprooting children from their schools and support networks.
These frequent disruptions erode trust, destroy routine, and make it nearly impossible for parents to maintain employment or access consistent healthcare.
Thousands in Edinburgh alone
Edinburgh council's latest report to the housing, homelessness and fair work committee confirmed that, as of March 31, more than 5,400 households were living in temporary accommodation, with 3,155 of these households including children. Even more concerning is the fact that 970 of those households were placed in unsuitable temporary accommodation, in breach of legal standards, including 42 children under the age of 16.
Alarmingly, we are seeing a growing number of families placed in bed and breakfasts or hostels, environments never intended for long-term living. These settings often lack privacy and the stability children need to grow and thrive.
Councils are doing what they can with the limited means at their disposal, but they are being asked to manage an escalating crisis without the necessary resources, funding, or legislative backing to address the root causes and implement lasting solutions.
Despite the clear harm, the SNP recently voted down amendments that would have required local authorities to consider the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child when allocating temporary housing. By rejecting these protections, the government is allowing children to remain in conditions far below acceptable standards of safety and dignity.
People deserve dignity
While initiatives like the Southeast Regional Delivery Alliance aim to accelerate homebuilding, progress is still slow. In north-west Edinburgh, the average waiting time for non-priority applicants can exceed more than 22 years. Even those with ‘silver’ priority can wait up to three-and-a-half years. That is not a waiting list, it is a sentence.
Laura, Stacey and Sofiane are parents doing everything right, raising children in impossible circumstances. They deserve more than vague timelines; they deserve homes, dignity, and stability.
The Scottish Government must stop shifting responsibility and act with urgency. That means properly funding councils, setting clear housing targets, and ensuring temporary accommodation is safe, suitable, and truly temporary. Without decisive intervention, this crisis will deepen, leaving a generation of children to grow up in limbo. That is not a legacy any government should be willing to accept.
As an MSP for Lothian, I will continue fighting for urgent change. Until we address the root causes of this crisis, families will continue to pay the price, with their health, hope, and futures put on hold. That is simply unacceptable.
Foysol Choudhury is a Labour MSP for Lothian
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.