In 2024, Scotland declared a housing emergency. For many of the children, young people, and families we work with this has been a reality for years.
Our new housing report explores the challenges facing families and young people in accessing suitable housing and is directly informed by their voices and experiences. Views were gathered through surveys, roundtable discussions with colleagues, and input from our Youth Inspire Group. The experiences shared with us highlight how under resourced the housing system is – and what needs to change.
What we heard:
Families and young people told us that accessing housing is incredibly difficult. They face long waiting times, complicated applications and systems, and pressures to declare themselves homeless in order to access supports. Once they are allocated housing, this doesn’t always meet their needs or is in poor condition. Families told us about damp and mould, overcrowding, damages, and inaccessible buildings.
Parents told us about sleeping on living room floors or sharing bedrooms with their children. We heard about babies being hospitalised due to damp and mould in the home.
This simply isn’t good enough and cannot continue.
Young people, especially young people who are care experienced, face unique challenges. Too many told us that they have spent years sofa-surfing or living in temporary placements, plagued by uncertainty and instability. Young people often lack the support, information and financial resources to maintain their tenancy, once they are allocated housing. The current system, under-resourced as it is, frequently expects young people to become independent overnight, without the tools they need to succeed. Young people told us that they do not feel listened to or taken seriously.
“I found the phone calls even really confusing and impossible to do on my own.” –
Youth Inspire Group member
Housing isn’t just about having a roof over your head. It’s about health, education, and stability. Families said poor housing affects their children’s ability to learn and study, damages mental health, and strains relationships. Some of the families we work with have experienced a breakdown in relationships on account of unsuitable living situations. For young people placed far from their community, public transport links and opportunities, isolation can lead to poor mental health, substance misuse, and hopelessness.
Poverty makes all of this worse. The social security system is difficult to navigate, and often adversarial. Families and young people shared experiences of being in arrears through no fault of their own and the long-term impact this has had on their health, finances, and living situation. Some have been charged for damages caused by emergency services and without help can’t afford to repair it. This pushes them further into debt and can increase feelings of shame and experiences of stigma.
What needs to change:
We want to amplify the voices of children, young people and families we support, and they have told us what needs to change.
Immediate: increase local housing allowance, guarantee suitable housing for care experienced young people, and improve legal standards of housing
Medium-term: improve data sharing between services and link housing allocations to priority groups identified in the tackling child poverty delivery plan.
Long-term: invest in social housing, improve temporary accommodation especially for families with children, and tackle the stigma around housing support.
Whole Family Support:
Families and young people told us that the support includem provides makes a difference. Colleagues support families to complete forms, understand policies and procedures, and, where possible, access funds that enable families to buy essentials for their home.
“Invest in wraparound support. Housing alone isn’t enough. People need help with their mental health, money, or getting back into work or education.” – survey response
If we’re serious about tackling child poverty, improving mental health and keeping The Promise, investment in housing and housing support must be a priority.
Our appeal:
At includem, we support children, young people, and families to access essential items in emergencies through our Young Person’s Funds. Recent examples of this have included beds and bedding, white goods, and food parcels.
In recognition of 25 years of includem, please consider donating £25 to this vital fund to allow us to continue supporting families who need our help. To donate, go to www.includem.org/donate
You can read Housing: Young People and Families Experiences here
