Half of affordable homes needed in Scotland are in the east

Scotland must deliver a minimum of 15,693 affordable homes a year in the next Parliament - a total of 78,465 over five-years – with at least half of them needed in the east, according to a major new report published today.

The report – funded by Shelter Scotland, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland – shows 7,860 homes are required in Eastern Scotland to address Scotland’s homelessness and demand for social housing. Without a step-change in delivering genuinely affordable homes, the emergency will continue to worsen.

This latest study is a follow up to research produced five years ago that shaped the Scottish Government’s current affordable housing supply programme. Meanwhile, Scotland’s housing emergency has deepened, with 13 local authorities and the Scottish Government declaring housing emergencies since 2023. With the next Scottish Parliamentary election approaching, the partners are calling on all political parties to commit to delivering the homes Scotland so desperately needs.

Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said:

"This research shows the devastating reality of Scotland’s housing emergency and the decades of underinvestment in housing that have brought us to the point. The need for social housing is increasing and yet Scotland is not building anywhere near enough to meet demand.

“The Cabinet Secretary for Housing recently announced a housing emergency action plan. While there is much to welcome, it falls short on delivering the new social homes needed to stop homelessness rising.

“Scotland needs these new homes for social rent to prevent more families being pushed into poverty, get the 10,180 children out of temporary accommodation and into permanent homes, to stop young people being locked out of secure housing and to protect communities from a broken and biased housing system.  We face a simple choice: invest in the homes we need now or pay the price for generations.

“Scotland cannot afford another lost decade on housing."

Callum Chomczuk, National Director for CIH Scotland, said:  

“The recent announcement from the Scottish Government of £4.9 billion investment over four years for social and affordable housing is a welcome step in the right direction. However our report, published today, shows £8.2 billion is needed over the next five years to build the 78,465 social and affordable homes Scotland needs by 2031. £4.9 billion is a welcome demonstration of intent, but it fails to meet Scotland's social and affordable housing need and resolve the housing emergency.

 "We know that targets and strategies are necessary, but they need to be matched by funding and a delivery plan. That is what Scotland has missed over the last four years. We hope that this full report sets the context for cross-party consensus on housing policy for Scotland, and that our MSPs build on the priorities set out by the Scottish Government and prioritise the financing and delivery of more than 75,000 social and affordable homes in the next Parliament. This is required so that everyone in Scotland has a secure, affordable home.”

Richard Meade, SFHA Chief Executive, said:

“The announcement of increased long-term funding for the housing budget set out in the Housing Emergency Action Plan is a welcome step in the right direction.

“However, the research is clear that Scotland will need over 15,000 social and affordable homes per year and total public investment of at least £8.2billion over the course of the next parliament. SFHA looks forward to working with the Scottish Government and MSPs across parliament to achieve this.

“Housing associations deliver secure, warm, and affordable homes in communities across Scotland, and they could do so much more. And beyond just numbers, these homes must be the right types of homes built in the right places, something which is underlined by the scale of need in the east of Scotland particularly.

“Ending the housing emergency will not only bring us the number of social homes we need, but it will create a fairer, healthier Scotland, where less children are living in poverty, and where more people have a chance to live well in thriving communities.”