Almost Half of Scots Have Struggled to Cover Housing Costs

Around 48 per cent of adults in Scotland have struggled at some point to cover their housing costs, according to a recent survey carried out by Shelter Scotland.

The homelessness charity has published its figures to highlight just how common it is for people to find themselves under pressure to pay their rent or meet their mortgage payments each month.

Shelter has said that Scotland has been experiencing a housing crisis for some years and suggested that the current cost of living crisis could well see many more Scots exposed to the risks of homelessness.

Strikingly, even among people in full time work, pressures associated with housing costs are still very much in evidence, with 49 per cent of people in that position saying they’ve struggled to pay their rent or their mortgage at some point.

Among full-time employees, around 27 per cent said they are currently finding it tough to cover their housing costs.

“The fact that around one in four people in full time employment are currently struggling with the cost of living shows that the housing emergency can affect anyone, and this will only be exacerbated as incomes continue to be squeezed,” said Alison Watson, a director with Shelter Scotland.

Other findings to emerge from the research includes the point that the proportion of Scots struggling with housing costs increases to 57 per cent if they have children to look after.

Women were also established to be more likely to have found it tough to cover their housing costs at some point than men, with 54 per cent of female respondents and 42 per cent of male respondents indicating they’ve been in that position.

As far Shelter is concerned, the only way to resolve what it describes as a “housing emergency” in Scotland is to build many more social homes.

“The Scottish government has promised the cash to build them, but we need to keep fighting to make sure those promises are fulfilled, and the homes are actually built,” said Ms Watson.

“We need our politicians to step up and build a future where everyone in Scotland has their right to safe, permanent, home upheld. We can’t allow the cost-of-living crisis to strip people of their homes.”

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