The Scottish Household Survey shows around 110,000 households continue to wait.  

The number of people stuck on housing waiting lists reflects successive governments failure to tackle Scotland’s housing emergency a leading charity has claimed.   

Figures in the Scottish Household Survey published today show that an estimated 110,000 households are on housing lists, while 37% of those have been waiting for over three years.   

Shelter Scotland has said the failure of successive governments to properly invest in delivering social housing is driving Scotland’s housing emergency.   

The housing and homelessness charity has said that the Scottish Government needs to deliver 38,500 social homes by 2026. 

It has warned that failure to deliver these homes will result in growing affordable housing need, a continued over reliance on temporary accommodation and further misery for communities suffering the consequences of Scotland’s broken housing system.  

Director of Shelter Scotland, Alison Watson, said: “Long housing lists and long waits for those on them are obvious symptoms of Scotland’s broken housing system.   

“The underlying causes here are not a mystery; decades of under investment in social housing has created a housing emergency and people are suffering as a result.  

“That 37% of households on waiting lists should have to put their lives on hold for more than three years before a home becomes available is a clear injustice. It doesn’t have to be this way.  

“The only viable long-term solution is to address the mistakes of the past by committing to invest in social housing.  

“The new First Minister has made clear that tackling poverty is at the top of his agenda.  

“If he’s to have any hope of achieving that aim then it’s absolutely vital that his government delivers the social homes Scotland desperately needs.”