Calls for housing policy to be ‘reset’ after crisis

A CHARITY has called for politicians to “reset the housing and homelessness agenda” as MSPS will investigate whether emergency measures to support those suffering with homelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic are “sustainable”.

Holyrood’s local government committee will hear evidence on whether temporary measures that local authorities have put in place to support rough sleepers through the pandemic can be continued as Scotland emerges from the lockdown.

In Edinburgh and Glasgow, empty hotel rooms have been harnessed to shelter rough sleepers, while in the capital, flats including former Airbnb properties have been used to accommodate people.

A permanent solution to homelessness is likely to include mass building of affordable housing, but the Scottish Government has indicated that its target of 50,000 affordable homes being built by March 2021 has been impacted by the shutdown.

Today, MSPS will hear evidence from Alasdair Bennett, chief executive of the Bethany Christian Trust, Mike Wright from Cyrenians and Margaretann Brunjes, the chief executive of

Homelessness Network Scotland.

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “This is an opportunity to reset the housing and homelessness agenda to ensure that we never return to a position where people have to sleep rough or live for months or even years in shabby B&BS.

“A priority for the Scottish Government must be to restart the current affordable house building programme as soon as it is safe to do so, and then to commit to a new ambitious social house building programme for the next parliamentary term. ”