Shelter Scotland will be urging visitors to the Big Tent Festival in Fife to remember that while they have a decent home to return to at the end of the weekend, thousands are without a home to call their own.

The housing charity will be asking all festival goers to draw a home in support of its campaign for more funding from the Scottish Government for affordable homes to rent in Fife, and across Scotland.

Shelter Scotland will be at the Big Tent Festival in Fife this weekend, Saturday 25 July and Sunday 26 July, from 10.30am until 6pm in the Climate Champion Exhibition Zone, where supporters can show their support for the campaign by drawing their ideal home.

Shelter Scotland's new Building Pressure report [1], which was launched recently to kickstart the charity's campaign for more homes, showed there are fewer social homes for rent than at any time since 1959. Much of that decline is due to Right to Buy and a lack of sustained investment by consecutive governments. The report highlights the desperate need for the Scottish Government to boost funding for more affordable homes to rent.

The campaign aims to secure a commitment from the Scottish Government to fund 30,000 affordable rented homes by 2012 – the deadline for Scotland's internationally acclaimed homelessness legislation to give everyone a home. [2]

Stark figures for Fife, also released recently, indicate the huge gap between housing supply and demand and the urgent need for more investment in affordable homes to rent in the area.

Figures for Fife show there were 7,488 households on the council waiting list in March 2008 [3] but only 1,568 new lets available in 2007/8. [4].

This means that it would take 4.8 years to clear the current waiting list even if it was closed to new applicants from today.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: 'We are asking all visitors to the Big Tent Festival to come and sign up to our campaign for more affordable homes for Scotland. Across the country, more and more people are waiting and yet there are fewer homes available. Our new report Building Pressure shows the number of social rented homes in Scotland is at its lowest level for 50 years.

'The Scottish Government's extra funding for new homes is welcome but will not solve the problem. The Government must provide more money through this year’s Budget to help councils and housing associations build more homes in Fife and across Scotland. We are calling on councillors, officials and members of the public to support Shelter Scotland's call for more homes at scotland.shelter.org.uk/campaign.'

Notes to editors

1. Download the report here.
   
2. The 2012 homelessness target will give all unintentionally homeless people the right to a permanent home, under Scottish legislation. Currently, only people designated to be in 'priority need' – generally families with children – have the right to permanent homes. All others have access to only temporary accommodation and support. By 2012, there will be no distinction and everyone will have the right to a home. Download the last Shelter report on the target here.
3. Figures are from the Scottish Government and are a snapshot figure for March 2008. They are the latest available published figures.
   
4. Figures are from the Scottish Government and are for the year 2007/8. They are the latest available published figures. Table worksheet: New Lets Financial Year.
5. Shelter believes everyone should have a home and helps 170,000 people a year fight for their rights, get back on their feet, and find and keep a home. We also tackle the root causes of Britain's housing crisis by campaigning for new laws, policies and solutions.
6. Spokespeople are available for interview, telephone the media office on 0844 515 2442. An ISDN line number is available for broadcast interviews.