Homelessness groups call for 'housing justice' to be at heart of Holyrood elections

Dozens of organisations involved in tackling homelessness are urging Scotland’s political parties to commit to urgent “housing justice” ahead of the election next year.

A joint manifesto from Everyone Home, a group of 36 academic and charity organisations, will be launched at Scotland’s Annual Homelessness conference – which begins in Perth on Monday.

Among the demands are a dramatic increase in social housing, with a target of nearly 16,000 new homes in each year of the next parliament.

Holyrood formally declared a nationwide housing emergency 18 months ago.

Among the groups supporting the manifesto is All in for Change, which represents practitioners and those with lived experience of homelessness.

The group said: “We see every day how the housing emergency hurts people who are homeless and those trying to help them.

“Frontline workers do amazing work, but they’re trapped in a broken system with too little housing and support to fix it.

“Some of us have been homeless ourselves, so we know the reality first-hand.

“But we believe this can be made better for others, with real political commitment and funding being used more wisely.

“We’ve laid out clear expectations for party manifestos, and we’ll keep pushing to shield people from the worst of homelessness in this housing emergency.”

The annual homelessness conference is hosted by Homeless Network Scotland.

Maggie Brunjes, chief executive of the organisation, said: “Scotland’s housing emergency is a plan gone wrong, driving homelessness and deepening inequality.

“To reverse this, we must invest in more social housing, higher incomes, proactive prevention and support that is fully integrated across health, housing, justice and social care.

“The Everyone Home collective manifesto is a plan to put that right and a call for housing justice.

“Combining first-hand, professional and academic insight, the manifesto outlines real-world measures to reduce inefficient spending, prevent the worst harm among the worst off, and scale solutions for a Scotland where everyone has a home.”

On Monday, the Scottish Government’s housing secretary Mairi McAllan announced an additional £1.6m to tackle homelessness, reduce poverty and support women who have experienced domestic abuse.

£1m will be invested in discretionary housing payments to help local authorities move people from temporary accommodation into settled homes, and £100,000 will be used to expand a fund to help rough sleepers.

Meanwhile, £500,000 will bolster the Fund to Leave, which supports women experiencing domestic abuse to buy essentials while leaving an abusive partner.

McAllan, who is due to give a speech at the conference on Monday, said: “Our approach to supporting people is rooted in compassion and is driven by the belief that everyone, regardless of circumstance, deserves a place to call home.

“These investments reflect that housing is about more than basic shelter – it’s about safety, dignity, and the chance to rebuild. And it follows on from the work set out in the Housing Bill to revolutionise homelessness prevention and improve standards in rented housing.

“When we get housing and anti-poverty measures right, we don’t just solve a problem, we build a fairer and healthier Scotland for generations.

“Today’s announcement, building on extensive work already carried out, shows how seriously we take our duty to build a fairer Scotland.”