{"id":688318,"date":"2026-01-11T06:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T06:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/688318\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T06:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T06:05:11","slug":"this-is-how-to-turn-scottish-housing-rights-into-housing-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/688318\/","title":{"rendered":"This is how to turn Scottish housing rights into housing reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scotland needs a Big Build. We need at least 15,693 new social homes every year of the next parliament, backed by \u00a38.8 billion of capital investment, according to independent research<\/a> commissioned by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, CIH Scotland and Shelter Scotland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some in Holyrood claim this scale isn\u2019t logistically possible. We disagree. Yes, challenges exist \u2013 but they\u2019re not fixed. Today\u2019s delivery rates \u2013 more than 7,000 affordable homes last year \u2013 are held back by\u00a0 limited funding and short-term priorities.<\/p>\n

Put the full investment on the table with genuine urgency and the building industry, housing associations, planners and supply chains will step up. We\u2019ve seen it before: when Scotland commits with ambition and resources, capacity grows to meet the moment.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This scale is not aspirational. It is the minimum required to reduce the housing need currently affecting 693,000 households, and to relieve pressure on a system spending millions on unsuitable temporary accommodation \u2013 hotel and B&B rooms \u2013 that leaves individuals and families in limbo. Without a step-change in housing supply, homelessness<\/a> will continue to rise no matter how well-intentioned our policies are.<\/p>\n

But supply is only part of the picture. Poverty<\/a>, inequality and restrictive UK welfare policies remain the strongest and most persistent drivers of homelessness. When incomes fall short of the most basic cost of living and rents soar beyond reach, people fall into crisis long before they cross the threshold of a homelessness service.<\/p>\n

Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n

That is why prevention must move upstream \u2013 and the budget must reflect this. Scotland\u2019s new prevention duties offer real potential, but only if services across housing, health, social care, justice and policing are resourced to identify risk early.<\/p>\n

Frontline workers are already stretched to breaking point. They cannot compensate indefinitely for failures elsewhere in the system. A budget committed to housing justice must ensure that the burden does not fall on those already doing the heaviest lifting.<\/p>\n

Crucially, it must also shield those being hit hardest by the housing emergency: people experiencing deep poverty, discrimination, trauma and gender-based violence. Our manifesto<\/a> calls for fast-track access to housing and support for people facing systemic disadvantage \u2013 a targeted approach backed by evidence, not rhetoric.<\/p>\n

It also means confronting an uncomfortable truth: not everyone is at equal risk of homelessness, but the housing emergency now affects people who were previously considered secure. Soaring rents, a shrinking supply of affordable homes and rising living costs are pushing more people into instability.<\/p>\n

Housing justice is a simple idea. When everyone has access to a decent home, everyone benefits. Individuals, families, children, communities, society, the economy. It is the foundation on which health improves, education stabilises, inequality narrows and communities thrive.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The January 2026 Scottish budget is a defining moment. If Scotland wants to be credible on homelessness, three decisions are essential.<\/p>\n

Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n

Firstly, fund the Big Build at scale and across multiple years. Only long-term certainty will allow councils and housing partners to plan and deliver the homes people urgently need.<\/p>\n

Secondly, invest in a coherent system of prevention. That means backing \u2018Ask and Act<\/a>\u2019 so it works. This is a new legal duty in Scotland that requires a wide range of services outwith homelessness to ask about someone\u2019s housing situation and, if necessary, take action to help prevent their homelessness. With proper training, delivery resources and joined-up working, Ask and Act can stop homelessness before it starts.<\/p>\n

Lastly, spend smart on joined-up support. Those hit hardest by the housing emergency often face overlapping crises like trauma, addiction and mental health problems \u2013 yet public services are built to tackle just one issue at a time. Fixing this mismatch will prevent the worst harm to those worst off.<\/p>\n

By investing in these priority areas, a Scottish budget with the idea of housing justice as its cornerstone can get us closer to creating a fairer country where everyone has a home.<\/p>\n

Margaret-Ann Br\u00fcnjes is chief executive at Homeless Network Scotland<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this?\u00a0Get in touch and tell us more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n

Change a vendor\u2019s life this winter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week \u2013 and always take the magazine. It\u2019s how vendors earn with dignity and how we fund our work to end poverty.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can also support online with a\u00a0vendor support kit<\/a>\u00a0or a\u00a0magazine subscription<\/a>. Thank you for standing with Big Issue vendors.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scotland needs a Big Build. We need at least 15,693 new social homes every year of the next…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688319,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5009],"tags":[748,1194,4884,6332,6333,391,712,25427,24850,16,15],"class_list":["post-688318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scotland","tag-britain","tag-budget","tag-great-britain","tag-homelessness","tag-housing","tag-opinion","tag-scotland","tag-social-justice","tag-temporary-accommodation","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115874963488539870","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688318\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}