THE Scottish Government is being urged to produce its own plan of action on homelessness after Andy Burnham announced a national drive to end rough sleeping.
Burnham has pledged to offer every homeless person a route off the streets in England by Christmas.
Emergency accommodation will be provided to end the need for rough sleeping alongside practical support for any health needs, as part of a £442 million package.
Homelessness expert Richard Lowrie, based at the University of Edinburgh, has now called on the Scottish Government to "follow Andy Burnham's lead" and commit to doing the same as rough sleeping prevalence is higher in Scotland than in England, he says.
The Scottish Greens have also urged the SNP to act, but added Labour's announcement "should not be mistaken for a record of success" as rough sleeping in England has risen to a record high.
Dr Richard Lowrie, reader in homelessness and inclusion health at Edinburgh University, said: "Andy Burnham's plan to accommodate every rough sleeper in England this winter is commendable and signals an important shift in priorities and action by our Labour Government.
"Rough sleeping prevalence is three-fold higher in Scotland than in England, and as we all know, Scotland is colder and wetter than England.
"It is surely now down to the Scottish Government to follow Andy Burnham's lead and commit to at least the same for our citizens who are so poor that they cannot afford to sleep somewhere safe in the winter in Scotland."
Burnham is reportedly looking to build on the success of Everyone In, a Covid pandemic-era scheme that saw thousands of rough sleepers housed in hotels and temporary accommodation.
The funding is also set to provide "intensive wraparound support", such as psychiatric and drug and alcohol services, to help people rebuild their lives.
The latest annual national statistics, published by the UK Government in February, estimated there were 4793 people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2025 in England. This was a new record and the fourth annual increase in a row.
Scottish Green MSP Iris Duane told The National: “Homelessness is a political choice, no one should be forced to sleep on the streets, and Dr Lowrie is right that the Scottish Government must act.
“But Labour’s announcement should not be mistaken for a record of success or something the Scottish Government should be taking its lead from. Rough sleeping in England has risen to a record high and Andy Burnham has not set a target for how many people will actually be helped by Christmas.
“Nobody should be abandoned in the cold while governments offer warm words, instead of the permanent homes and support people need.
“The solutions being put forward by the Scottish Greens mean urgently funding safe emergency and temporary accommodation, providing secure long-term funding for Housing First and rapid rehousing programmes and restoring the ban on winter evictions.”
The Greens put forward a plan to ban winter evictions as an amendment to the Housing (Scotland) Bill last year which would have prevented landlords from evicting renters between November and March every year, but it was voted down.
Scottish LibDem MSP Morven-May MacCallum added: “With homelessness soaring to record levels over the past two years, Scotland is crying out for decisive and effective action to tackle the housing crisis.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out serious plans to bring empty homes back into use, increase housebuilding and make the most of the stock we already have.
“I would welcome the chance to sit down with ministers and work together on those plans because the focus needs to be on solutions.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The most effective way to end homelessness for good is by preventing it happening in the first place. For too long, the system has been geared towards responding to crisis rather than stopping it happening.
“That is why we are investing £50 million in our new Homelessness Prevention Fund which will support people before they reach crisis point – building up the capacity of communities to act earlier and supporting people before their situations become critical.
“The Scottish Government is committed to sustained, long-term investment in prevention and to delivering 110,000 new affordable homes by 2032.”
“Meanwhile, current UK Government policies, particularly the freeze to local housing allowance, are deepening poverty and driving homelessness. Ministers have repeatedly called on the UK Government to uprate it, and as a bare minimum, relink it to the 30th percentile of local rents.”
