Shelter Scotland responds to First Minister's announcement on new national housing agency plans

Alison Watson, Director of Shelter Scotland responding to today’s announcement by the First Minister John Swinney of the creation of a new national housing agency, said:

“This is exactly what Shelter Scotland have been calling for in our recently published Delivery Plan to End Scotland’s Housing Emergency. We are pleased that the First Minister is listening to the voices of people across Scotland who are running out of time waiting for a safe secure affordable home.

“Social housing delivery remains too slow, too little, and too late for the 10,000 children in temporary accommodation and the tens of thousands waiting for a home. Unless we are prepared to take a different approach to deliver more homes more quickly than we will see rising homelessness and cuts to council services who are left picking up the bill for our housing shortfall.

“Shelter Scotland is already working with researchers at University of Glasgow to set out what a national agency with powers to acquire land and speed up delivery should look like. We welcome the opportunity to work with Ministers, housing professionals and most importantly the people who need a home to turn that idea into a new force to help end the national housing emergency.

“Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, but it must also be matched by the funds to build the homes we need. Last week’s Scottish budget set the ambition of building 36,000 affordable homes by 2030 – more than 20,000 short of where the Scottish Government will need to be to deliver their promise of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. Today they have shown they are willing to do things differently, let’s hope that ambition is matched by the money needed to make it a reality."