I have called on the Scottish Government to commit to a series of actions from Shelter Scotland in delivering a Scottish Housing Emergency Action Plan in order to protect households from homelessness as the cost-of-living crisis continues to worsen.
Shelter Scotland have highlighted that in the last year the number of children stuck in temporary accommodation rose by 17%– the highest since records began and a doubling since 2014. On top of this in 2020-21 there was a decrease of 16% of new homes started, and a decrease of 30% of new homes completed, through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme compared to the previous year.
Shelter are calling on the Scottish Government to buy and build 38,500 social homes by 2026, fully fund local homelessness services and guarantee the right to a home for everyone experiencing homelessness.
It is shocking to hear the statistic that every 18 minutes a household becomes homeless in Scotland.
Here in Fife, more than 900 families, including 400 children, are living in temporary accommodation and at the same time our waiting lists for houses are sitting at an all-time high.
Across Scotland rent arrears for social tenants are now over £307 million while over 250,000 people living in poverty are trapped in the private rented sector, unable to access a social home.
What we need is a coherent, joined-up, national plan put in place to tackle the housing crisis. The Scottish Government should commit to this as a matter of national priority and should put in place local plans, with local councils, that will address this unacceptable shortage of housing that exists in Fife and across the country.
Shelter have set out some clear asks of the government, and I am urging them to not only listen to Shelter’s calls, but to take the action on them and commit to their Scottish Housing Emergency Action Plan.
