The next Scottish Government must commit to reducing affordable housing need by the end of the next parliament.
To do this, government must deliver the social homes and housing rights we need.
Delivering the social homes we need
Shelter Scotland is calling for:
at least 15,693 new social homes every year for the next 5 years, backed by at least £8.8bn of investment, delivered at the heart of vibrant, accessible communities and in areas of greatest need
a new National Housing and Land Agency, focused on reducing affordable housing need
maximum use of existing housing stock to help reduce housing need through acquisitions, work on empty homes and greater allocations of social homes to homeless households
Delivering the housing rights we need
Shelter Scotland is calling for:
an end to law-breaking and a guarantee that existing rights are here to stay, backed up with the resources needed to enforce them
an enforceable and funded Human Right to Adequate Housing as part of the delayed Human Rights Bill
an end to unsafe and harmful temporary accommodation for children
work to end the systemic inequality that defines Scotland’s housing system, including through continued mitigation of the bedroom tax, benefit cap, and an end to the two-child limit
work to tackle systemic racism in Scotland’s housing system, and provide targeted support for those who most need it – from women and people with disabilities, to those without access to digital services
Our Housing Delivery Plan
Our Housing Delivery Plan for Scotland details the actions that all parties need to prioritise after the 2026 Scottish election.
Read our plan in full.