Report
Work
Housing
Poverty in Scotland 2019
Poverty in Scotland 2019 looks at the impact that governments have had on poverty in Scotland over the past 20 years and how this evidence can be used to inform policy development for the future.
This report underlines the importance of housing costs, alongside social security and work, in solving poverty in Scotland.
What you need to know
- Poverty in Scotland is rising, from an already unacceptably high level. More people are facing situations where they cannot afford the basics nor play a full role in society. Almost one in five people in Scotland live in poverty, and for children the situation is worse, with one in four in poverty.
- We need to open up routes out of poverty and try to prevent more people from being trapped in this situation. History over the past 20 years tells us that this can be done. If there are the foundations that allow people to build a stable financial future, then poverty will fall.
- This report shows the range of tools government has for solving poverty. New analysis shows the key role of housing in people’s lives, and how types of housing, and the lower cost of housing in particular in the social rented sector, mean that poverty is significantly lower in Scotland than in the rest of the UK overall.
- The announcement of the Scottish Child Payment earlier this summer shows how seriously the Scottish Government is taking its legal obligations on reducing child poverty. But to reach the child poverty targets, and to make a Scotland without poverty for all a reality, we need a number of ambitious solutions across work, housing and social security.