MANIFESTO FOR HOMES

2016

Access to a safe secure and affordable place to call home is a fundamental human right and is critical to people’s health, prosperity and to the success of Scotland as a thriving and diverse country. Sadly, however, in Scotland today this is simply not a reality for far too many people.

Over successive generations we have failed to get to grips with the issues at the heart of this problem, and Scotland is now in a major housing crisis. A housing crisis with a very human cost.

There are currently over 150,000 households waiting for a home across the country and in excess of 30,000 households made a homeless application last year. Right now there are more than 10,000 households living in temporary accommodation and tomorrow morning nearly 5,000 children in Scotland will wake up homeless. The private rented sector in Scotland has doubled in the last ten years and now 85,000 families with children call this sector home. Spiralling monthly rents combined with sky high house prices, that continue to rise well above inflation, mean that for many the ambition of one day owning a home of their own is now beyond reach.

Underpinning all of these issues, the ongoing cuts to our welfare system, and a challenging sanctions regime mean that the rights and support available for some of the most vulnerable people in our society are being eroded day by day.

Scotland’s housing crisis

#homesmanifesto

A good home is central to our wellbeing both as individuals and collectively as a nation. From improving our health outcomes to raising educational attainment, reducing reoffending rates to tackling inequality, improving social mobility and genuinely realising the advantages of spend to save initiatives – all of these things depend on whether or not people in Scotland have a decent home.

The ambitions and commitments outlined in this Manifesto for Homes build on the recommendations from the landmark report from the Commission on Housing and Wellbeing in 2015 and are the policies that Shelter Scotland will be campaigning for all political parties to sign up to in the run up to and beyond the 2016 Holyrood Election. We hope that all candidates will commit to putting homes at the very heart of Scotland’s politics in the years ahead.

Shelter Scotland

Scotland’s housing crisis

The main thing was reassuranceI wasn’t losing my home.

Shelter Scotland service user

DELIVER AHOME FOREVERYONEIN SCOTLAND

Commitment 1

DELIVER AHOME FOREVERYONEIN SCOTLAND

#homesmanifesto

HOWBuild at least 12,000 affordable rented homes each year for the lifetime of the parliament, with most of these being socially rented homes

Raise the quality of Scotland’s housing stock with a new Common Housing Quality Standard for all homes

Bring more empty homes back into use by introducing appropriate financial incentives to encourage empty homes work as well as a Compulsory Sale Order power for empty buildings

WHY

There are

27,000long term empty

homes in Scotland

Research shows the need for

12,000affordable homes

to be built each year to tackle the homes

crisis

households are currently waiting

for a home across Scotland

150,000

Commitment 2

TACKLEROOT CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS& MEET THE NEEDSOF EVERY HOMELESS PERSON

TACKLE ROOT CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS& MEET THE NEEDSOF EVERY HOMELESS PERSON

#homesmanifesto

HOWProtect and enhance funding available for services that prevent and tackle homelessness

Produce a National Homelessness Strategy for Scotland that delivers better housing and support for the most vulnerable

Improve access to good quality temporary accommodation across Scotland

WHY

households in temporary

accommodation in Scotland, including

4,923 children

35,764 10,567homeless

applications in 2014/15

households are living in

overcrowded conditions in

Scotland

74,000

Commitment 3

MAKEPRIVATE RENTINGRIGHT

MAKEPRIVATE RENTINGRIGHT

#homesmanifesto

HOW Deliver stability and security for private renters through the new private tenancy in Scotland

Focus on private landlord registration to ensure local authorities take targeted action against landlords who break the law

Provide tenants with the support, advice and representation they need to challenge bad landlords

WHY

There are currently

private rented households have

children

The number ofhouseholds living in

the private rented sector has

in the last 10 years

330,000 1 in 4more than doubled

households living in privately

rented homes across Scotland

Commitment 4

PUT HOMES AT THE HEART OF SOCIAL JUSTICE& TACKLINGCHILD POVERTY

PUT HOMES AT THE HEART OF SOCIAL JUSTICE& TACKLINGCHILD POVERTY

#homesmanifesto

HOWPut homes at the heart of Scotland’s new welfare system to ensure that it reduces poverty, promotes dignity and the human rights of all those that need it

Ensure information and support is available to all tenants affected by welfare reforms and the roll out of Universal Credit

Abolish the Bedroom Tax and commit to mitigating the impact of cuts to the housing safety net

Improve public health by ensuring housing is at the heart of health and social care integration in Scotland

WHY

In 2013/14 after housing costs over

people in Scotland are affected by

the bedroom tax

of the homeless population will

suffer long term health difficulties,

compared to 28% of the general population

1 million71,000 41%

people (20% of Scotland’s

population) lived in absolute poverty

Facts about the housing crisis

There are currently Scottish children spent

households are living in

overcrowded conditions in

Scotland

In 2014/15 over

people contacted our helpline with concerns about

their housing

150,000

845,000

1million

1 in 4

21,000

74,000

households on council waiting lists

across Scotland

households are living in fuel poverty in Scotland – 35% of all households

days in temporary accommodation in

2015

people in Scotland are worried about

paying for their home in 2016

PEOPLE

HOMESAcross all tenures, the current quality of Scotland’s homes is a major issue of concern

More and more people are suffering from homelessness or bad housing

#homesmanifesto

Facts about the housing crisis

On average homeless children

miss

The average house price in Scotland

increased by

lower than the Scottish average

Poor housing increases the risk of severe ill-health or disability by up to

during childhood and early adulthood

was spent on housing benefit in

Scotland in 2014/15 including around £500m to private sector landlords

55 days

61%

10 years

400,000

25%

£1.8bn

of school a year.

between 2004 – 2014 by 2037

Life expectancy for the 20% most

deprived communities is almost

The overall number of households in

Scotland is projected to

increase by almost

WELLBEING

SCOTLANDScotland has an ageing population and we are not meeting current or future housing need

The housing crisis is impacting on people’s health, wellbeing and life chances

Get involved

www.shelterscotland.org/manifesto

If you want to help tackle Scotland’s housing crisis, find out more and join our campaign at:

Email: campaignsscotland@shelter.org.ukPhone: 0344 515 2456

Or follow us on Social Media:

shelterscotland

shelterscotland

shelterscotland

To donate £3 to our work, text SHELTER to 70213.

Call our free, national helpline for housing advice: 0808 800 4444.

#homesmanifesto

www.shelterscotland.org/manifesto

It’s over a year and a half since I’ve been in a home… I want somewhere I can call mine.

Shelter Scotland service user

It’s made me depressed not having a place to call my own, it affected college: I had low attendance as I was depressed so I left.

Shelter Scotland service user

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