With 231 people dying while homeless last year, Maeve McGoldrick says the toll reflects systemic failures — and insists Scotland can still end homelessness with bold political action.

The Scottish Government has just published its statistics on deaths among people experiencing homelessness for 2024. They show that 231 people died.

To our staff here at Crisis, those are more than numbers, they represent people we know and work with everyday.

Every day, we see the impact of homelessness on people’s health and wellbeing.

I’m thinking of one of our members, Paddy, who was evicted from his home and had no choice but to sleep in his car because he couldn’t afford bed and breakfast accommodation.

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He thought it would only be for a little while, but nearly two years later he was still there. For the first six months, he was even holding down a job. He spent two vicious Scottish winters cramped in his vehicle separated from the elements by only glass and metal.

“In the winter ‘cold’ wasn’t the word for it. You were constantly cold, 24/7,” is how he describes that harrowing time in his life.

Anyone can see how people’s health suffers in circumstances like this. The cold, the hunger and the stress grind people down. It takes a terrible toll on people’s mental health.

I’m glad to say that this story has a happy ending, because Crisis was able to find and help Paddy, first to access temporary accommodation and then a council flat, but many others are not so fortunate. People can be left for months or even years in accommodation that is totally unsuitable for their needs.

Sometimes people are forced to live on the street. Sometimes they are sleeping on sofas or floors, moving from place to place. Sometimes they are in bed and breakfasts where they don’t feel safe. We hear reports of people in accommodation that is mouldy or infested with rodents, or where the basics like hot water are unavailable. We work with people who are stuck in these conditions for years. Far too often we see people end up in this situation because opportunities to help them before they became homeless were missed.

Some people become homeless while already dealing with mental health challenges, addiction or poor physical health, but often homelessness itself is the trigger for health problems.

And the consequences can be harrowing. When a person experiencing homelessness dies, it’s far too rare to be able to say that they had lived a long life. Homelessness is strongly associated with premature death and the latest figures bear that out once again. Half of those who died in Scotland in 2024 were under 45.

Seventy eight per cent of those who died were men and many will have been single. People in this situation often struggle to get the wrapround support they need. And that’s why we need a national focus on ending all forms of homelessness.

It’s saddening and frustrating that the latest figures show barely any change from last year. The number of people who have died while waiting for a home is about 40 per cent higher than in 2017.

We know what would help save lives – we have done for years – but the big push needed just isn’t happening.

These deaths are not inevitable. We can reform the way services are delivered to prevent homelessness altogether.

There are currently more than 17,000 households awaiting a permanent home in Scotland. Numbers like that can make the issue seem overwhelming, but it isn’t – in fact, ending homelessness is tantalisingly achievable. Five years ago, during the Covid pandemic, rough-sleeping was almost eradicated in Scotland, showing what our public services can achieve when the political will and the resource is there.

It’s not about creating new services, but getting the existing ones to operate better, coming together and acting earlier.

In the run-up to May’s Scottish elections, Crisis is calling on all political parties to prevent this unnecessary suffering by coming together to make a bold commitment to end all forms of homelessness for good. This can be achieved by 2040, the same date the government has set itself to build enough homes for everyone in Scotland.

Significant progress on this goal can and must be achieved within the next parliamentary term.

A home is never taken for granted by those who have lived without one. After Paddy stopped living in his car and found a permanent home, his whole life changed. Now he takes joy in everyday life: “See just a small thing like inviting someone for coffee, it’s fantastic,” he says.

Getting a home and having access to timely support where needed allows a person really to live again. We can make this happen for everyone, but it will take a bold commitment from all the parties at Holyrood to make it a reality.

Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications at Crisis Scotland

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