New Scottish Government funds on affordable homes ‘not enough to arrest freefall in supply’
SFHA says First Minister’s funding announcement is welcome but does not ‘build a single new social home’
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has said the Scottish Government’s promise of new funding for affordable homes is not enough to reverse Scotland’s housing emergency.
It comes as First Minister, Humza Yousaf MSP, visited a housing development by Hillcrest Housing Association Dundee to announce £80 million would be committed over two years to buy empty homes for social housing.
The Scottish Government’s record on housing has been under intense scrutiny in recent months following a huge £196 million cut to the country’s affordable housing budget, whilst figures published last month pointed to the lowest number of homes started building by housing associations last year than at any point since 1988.
SFHA Chief Executive, Sally Thomas, said that while any new funding was welcome, this move would not address the core issue of needing to build homes at scale.
She said: “For months we’ve repeatedly called on government to reverse the huge £200 million cut to the affordable housing programme, so I’m pleased to see the First Minister at least considering the issue of housing.
“However, fundamentally what we need are the funds to build – and this simply will not build a single new social home.
“With freefall in supply, this funding announcement pales in comparison to what we’ve lost and unfortunately represents little more than a sticking plaster during a national housing emergency.”