Thursday January 22nd 2026
Landscape view of Glasgow
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Drew Sandelands
The number of homeless people living in temporary accommodation across Glasgow is continuing to rise, the latest figures show.
There were 4,847 households in temporary accommodation as of January 13, with 2,287 of these in unsuitable B&Bs or hotels.
Pat Togher, chief officer of Glasgow’s health and social care partnership (HSCP), said this was “an increase of 189 households across our temporary accommodation estate since the last update”.
Over three quarters of households in B&Bs or hotels are refugees, he added. People are placed in these establishments as a result of “unprecedented pressures” on homelessness services, breaching the unsuitable accommodation order.
Use of B&Bs and hotels is costing around £4.5m per month, a report added. A 10-year temporary accommodation strategy, aiming to end the use of B&Bs and hotels, is being developed.
Speaking at a meeting of Glasgow’s integration joint board (IJB), which manages health and social care services, Mr Togher said: “If we were to go back to pre-covid, our occupancy within our hotel accommodation was 220, so a significant increase.”
In this financial year (2025/26), 44.5% of new demand for homelessness assistance has been from refugee households. They “make up almost half of the total live caseload”, Mr Togher said, with 3,520 refugee applications from a total of 7,121 applications received.
He added 61% of the total number of households within temporary accommodation, and 76% of households within B&B accommodation, are now represented by refugees.
Glasgow City Council is expecting to face an “overspend pressure on homelessness” of £56m, the IJB heard, which relates to “continuing trends around those presenting in the city who have been given leave to remain”.
The city declared a housing emergency in November 2023 due to mounting pressure on homelessness services.
Once someone seeking asylum has been granted leave to remain, they have 56 days to leave Home Office accommodation and find housing. Many are left homeless and require help from the council.
Councils in England house people in ‘priority need’ but in Scotland rules cover anyone who is unintentionally homeless. Refugees who have been granted leave to remain in other parts of the UK can also make a homeless application to a Scottish council.
An update on the 10-year temporary accommodation strategy stated it is expected to be approved in May.
It added the strategy aims to “reshape the current model for providing temporary accommodation so that homeless households spend the shortest possible time in temporary accommodation whilst aiming to end the routine use of hotel and bed & breakfast accommodation”.
“Homelessness services continue to receive a significant volume of judicial review threats due to its failure to provide temporary accommodation at the point of request, as well as the rising use of unsuitable accommodation.”
The HSCP is working with stakeholders, including housing consultancy Arneil Johnston, to develop the strategy.
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