It has been 10 years since the Scottish Parliament promised that nobody who became homeless would be denied a permanent home. That promise remains unfulfilled.
It would seem fitting then that in our recent survey, conducted by YouGov, three out of five (60%) adults in Scotland admitted they think it’s unlikely the Scottish Government will deliver on its target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.
Coincidentally, the survey comes in the same week as house building statistics from the Scottish Government show that while it has belatedly reached its previous target to build 50,000 new affordable homes since the start of the last Parliament, it did not meet its target of ensuring that 70% of these would be social homes, with a shortfall of around 600 social homes.
The same survey also showed that if the Scottish Government doesn’t deliver on its target, 63% of people think homelessness across Scotland will increase and 74% also believe rent prices will increase.
The Scottish Government faces an enormous challenge in getting back on track in delivering the homes Scotland so desperately needs. But there is no margin for error. The 7,510 children in temporary accommodation can’t wait another second for a place to call home. We can’t allow people to be left homeless any longer.