Get involved in Scottish Housing Day

As Scottish Housing Day 2026 approaches, CIH Scotland’s policy and practice officer Susanne Flynn looks ahead to the final preparations and highlights some of the ways you can get involved.

There are now just two weeks to go until Scottish Housing Day 2026, which this year focuses on the theme of ‘Healthy Homes, Healthy Futures’.

A well-functioning housing system is essential to our physical health and mental wellbeing, creating vibrant communities and the social structures needed to keep people active, safe and living independently. There is also a growing body of evidence to show that housing provides the foundation for good health and that better partnership working and investment in housing can help to improve outcomes for individuals and save money for the public purse.

The success of Scottish Housing Day, now in its 11th year, depends on organisations from across the housing sector and other partners coming together with a collective voice; together we can share the positive impact that housing has across our communities and call for change where it’s needed.

With this in mind, the Scottish Housing Day partners are delighted to be launching a new report on the vital links between housing and health at a special event at the Scottish Parliament, kindly sponsored by Paul McLennan MSP. The report, which will be launched in front of an audience of MSPs, representatives from across housing and health, and tenant representatives, will draw on survey findings from both housing practitioners and tenants, and includes a number of case studies on the impact that housing has on good health. But perhaps most importantly, it will also contain some key ‘asks’ of the Scottish government, calling for them to recognise the role of housing in supporting health and wellbeing, to invest in making sure our homes are fit for purpose and that support is available when people need it to stay safe and healthy in their communities. Please do take the time to read it and share widely with your own networks when it’s available.

As well as the report, there are a whole range of ways, both big and small, that you can get involved in this year’s Scottish Housing Day. We encourage housing associations, tenants’ groups, local authorities, letting agents, developers and anyone with an interest in housing and health to hold team meetings, AGMs, coffee mornings, MSP and councillor visits on or around Wednesday 16 September. You could also host an open day within your community around the theme of Healthy Homes, Healthy Futures.

We also love to hear about and share examples of what’s happening across the sector, so why not send us a case study which highlights the ways that your organisation supports health and wellbeing? These can be emailed to us at scotland@cih.org and we will share across our social media channels.

Or why not simply start a conversation on housing and health with your tenants or within your own staff teams? You could consider what some of the links are between housing and good health, how your organisation supports people to live well in their homes, or how your organisation supports the creation of healthy homes and communities.

We know that lots of you already have exciting plans in place, but if this blog has inspired you to get involved, please visit the Scottish Housing Day website for more information, download the supporter’s pack, or follow us on Bluesky for the latest updates: @scothousingday.bsky.social

We look forward to celebrating Scottish Housing Day with you all on Wednesday 16 September.

Scottish Housing Day is a joint campaign delivered by partners across the housing sector, third sector, private sector and supported by the Scottish Government. Find out more on the Scottish Housing Day website.