Ending Youth Homelessness in Scotland
Over the course of a single year in 2024-25, more than 7,500 young people were threatened with or experienced homelessness. This makes young people the most disproportionately affected age group in the homelessness system.
Rock Trust’s 2026 Scottish Election Manifesto, The Way Forward for Young People, sets out a clear, evidence-led plan to change this. It focuses on prevention, youth-specific housing, supported transitions into adulthood, and access to education and work. For the next Scottish Government to be successful in tackling homelessness, it must build the foundations young people need to build stable futures.
For an accessible version of our Manifesto, see our summary page.
What are the main parties promising?
Read our analysis of the six parties vying for votes on 7 May. What are they committing to in their manifestos?
Why this manifesto matters
Young people experience homelessness differently from adults. It is often driven by family breakdown, poverty, transitions out of care, and gaps in early support – not long-term housing need.
The current system responds too late, too often. Young people are pulled into crisis services that were never designed around their needs. Ultimately, this lack of youth-specific pathways can cause lasting impacts on their health, wellbeing and futures.
This Manifesto sets out what the next Scottish Government must deliver if it is serious about making Scotland the best place in the world to grow up – and serious about ending youth homelessness.
The four asks
Ending youth homelessness requires more than ambition. It requires clear, deliverable action.
Drawing on over 30 years of frontline experience, lived-experience insight and national policy work, Rock Trust’s manifesto sets out four practical asks for the next Scottish Government.
1. Homes for every young person
Every young person deserves access to safe, affordable housing that meets their needs.
Rock Trust is calling for long-term investment in youth-specific housing options, a national approach to supporting young people into the private rented sector, and action to address the wider housing emergency through increased social housebuilding.
2. Act early to prevent homelessness
Prevention works – but only when support is available before crisis.
The manifesto calls for increased investment in early intervention, including school-linked support services, mental health and wellbeing provision, and a legal right to youth work so young people can access help when it forwarded most.
3. Support transitions for care leavers
Transitions into adulthood should not push young people into homelessness.
Rock Trust is calling for guaranteed housing and support for care-experienced young people, including transition planning, aftercare support up to age 26, and full delivery of commitments under The Promise.
4. Jobs and education for young people
Housing stability is only part of the solution.
The manifesto calls for fair access to work, training and education, including well-paid apprenticeships, career mentoring, and protection from disadvantage for young people living in temporary accommodation.
