Homelessness falls as Falkirk Council free up more vacant properties

There has been a small decrease in the number of people presenting as homeless with a total of 1057 homelessness applications received in 2024/25, down from 1163 the year before.

So far this financial year, 155 presentations have been made, a reduction from the 201 seen over the same period last year.

The figures form part of an update on the Council’s homelessness response and outline some of the progress made since Scottish Government declared a housing emergency in May 2024.

In its most recent Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO) report, Falkirk moved from "red” to “amber” status in two temporary accommodation performance categories – the only council in Scotland to report an improvement.

The number of children living in temporary accommodation has also fallen across the Falkirk Council area over the past year, with 263 youngsters identified at the end of March 2024 reducing to 197 by the end of March 2025.

The use of bed and breakfast accommodation has also declined. On average, the council had 23 households in B&Bs at the end of both 2023 and 2024 and by the end of March 2025 this had dropped to 11.

Councillor Gary Bouse, Falkirk Council housing spokesperson, said: “We have taken several practical steps over the past year, including changes to our housing allocations policy and a targeted effort to bring more vacant properties back into use.

“These kinds of local interventions are beginning to be effective in reducing the number of children placed in temporary accommodation. We know no child should have to live without a stable home.

"While these improvements are encouraging, demand for housing is still far outstripping supply and that is why our focus remains on prevention and early support, making sure people get the help they need before they reach crisis point.

“Between October 2024 and February 2025, the Council suspended most non-emergency repairs in council homes. This short-term measure was introduced to redirect resources toward preparing vacant properties for let more quickly, with the aim of increasing housing availability and reducing homelessness pressure.”

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