Words must quickly turn into action following housing emergency declaration

Shelter Scotland has welcomed today’s declaration of a housing emergency at Holyrood but warned that words must now follow actions.

The housing and homelessness charity has led the calls for the Scottish Government to declare a housing emergency and has urged ministers to set out an urgent plan of action to end it.

It identified reversing the cut to the housing budget, delivering more social homes, and fully funding local homelessness services as the key priorities needed to address the housing emergency.

Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said:

“Today could be a momentous day in the fight for housing justice in Scotland, but only if words are backed up with urgent action.

“It is shameful that 10,000 children in Scotland have nowhere to call home, that local homelessness services across the country are turning people away, and that so many people simply can’t afford the cost of housing.

“Now that they’ve declared a housing emergency, it’s time for our politicians to work together to deliver the actions necessary to end it; deliver the social homes we need, and make sure local services have the resources they need to do to their jobs.

“People across the country are dealing with the brutal reality of the housing emergency every day and desperately to see progress from politicians; there can now be no excuse for letting them down.”