With just one month until the Scottish elections, you might be wondering what you can do to make a difference.
You care about Scotland’s housing emergency. You’ve seen the headlines. You might know someone stuck in temporary accommodation, be paying too much rent, or be struggling to find a home.
But when a candidate or their canvassing team knocks on your door, it can be easy to have a quick chat and to move on.
This election, we need something different.
Because when enough of us ask the same questions – clearly and consistently – politicians must listen. And that’s where you come in.
When parties knock on your door, it isn’t random. Your responses are recorded and fed back into their campaign strategies via their internal databases. Every Party uses one to help them run professional campaigns – it means that what you say matters, especially in the final weeks.
Right now, thousands of children in Scotland are growing up without a safe, secure home. Families are stuck in temporary accommodation for months, even years. Rents are rising, and social housing isn’t keeping up with demand.
This is a national emergency, and it needs urgent political action.
Candidates want your vote and right now, they’re paying close attention to what matters to you.
So when they show up, use your voice.
You don’t need to be an expert; you just need to ask the right questions.
Here’s three direct questions on the housing emergency for candidates and canvassers that will cut through the noise.
Question 1: “Will you commit to building enough social homes to end Scotland’s housing emergency?” (affordable housing need?)
We need homes people can actually afford – that means at least 15,693 new social homes being built every year of the next Parliament. Be sure to listen for clear commitments from candidates, specific targets, and long-term investment.
Question 2: “What will you do to reduce the number of children stuck in temporary accommodation?”
As of September 2025, a record 10,480 children were living in temporary accommodation in Scotland. Listen for time-bound commitments and plans to build more homes – especially for families.
Question 3. “How will you make sure housing is treated as a national emergency in the next Parliament?”
This should be a top priority for the next Parliament. Listen for urgency, cross-party ambition, and accountability. If housing isn’t near the top of their agenda, Scotland’s children in temporary accommodation won’t get the action that they need.
This isn’t about being confrontational. You don’t need to argue. You don’t need to have all the facts at your fingertips.
Just asking these questions does three important things:
- It shows candidates that housing matters to you
- It shifts the conversation from promises to accountability
- It adds to a collective voice demanding change (that is growing all time!)
And if thousands of people across Scotland do the same? It feeds back into the Party’s databases and changes the shape of their campaign.
That’s how priorities shift.
It sends a clear message to our politicians: that ending Scotland’s housing emergency isn’t optional – it’s expected. And with one month to go, there’s still time to make sure that they hear you loud and clear.
Ending Scotland’s housing emergency must be politicians’ top priority. Contact the candidates standing in your area and tell them to prioritise building at least 15,693 new social homes every year of the next parliament.