Letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance: Budget 2021/22 – Reducing Scotland’s Housing Need

Letter from Shelter Scotland, CIH Scotland, SFHA and partner organisations calling on the Scottish Government to reduce affordable housing need by committing to a new and ambitious social and affordable housebuilding programme in this year's Scottish Budget.

We are an alliance of Scotland’s leading advocacy, support and housing organisations. Working with tenants and communities across the country we understand many of the economic and social challenges facing Scotland have been exacerbated by the public health emergency, but they are not new. Scotland’s housing need was not being met before COVID-19 and the pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance of having a safe, secure and affordable home.

We are collectively calling on the Scottish Government to reduce affordable housing need by committing to a new and ambitious social and affordable housebuilding programme. Evidence from independent academics show this will require minimum of 53,000 affordable homes, including at least 37,100 for social rent between 2021-2026.