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Decent housing is crucial to tackling Scotland’s inequalities

This news post is about 9 years old
 

Investing in housing would lead to savings in social care and more cash for the NHS

Investment in housing is crucial if Scotland is to tackle health problems and inequality, according to the country's former auditor general.

Robert Black, who now chairs the housing and wellbeing commission, said investing in now would lead to significant savings in social care services as wealth as the health service, and go some way to tackling the country's homes crisis.

Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) conference in Glasgow, Black said there was a danger of losing sight of how important housing was in terms of preventative spend.

"Our society faces major challenges in responding to the consequences of a chronic housing crisis now and in the future," he said.

"We are in danger of losing sight of the importance housing plays in the wellbeing of everyone that lives in Scotland.

Poor housing can have a significant impact on health, education, employability and life chances

"Poor housing can have a significant impact on health, education, employability and life chances."

It is estimated that each incident of repeat homelessness costs upwards of £15,000.

Recent attempts in England to quantify the monetary costs of poor housing have estimated at least £600 million per year to the NHS south of the border.

Black continued: "Today, a serious lack of affordable housing and poor quality housing continues to damage the health and life chances of thousands of families and individuals in Scotland.

"To avoid a health and inequality time bomb, Scotland must build more homes and improve the quality of existing stock. Only then can it ensure the wellbeing of its people.”

CIH chair Keith Anderson challenged politicians, housing professionals and the business community to work more closely to create a housing system that works for everyone.

He said: "Over 29,000 households in Scotland were classed as homeless last year, and when you add the stark reality of around 180,000 households currently on council and housing association waiting lists, it is clear we have a housing crisis on our hands.

"Housing is central to delivering a stronger society and a stronger economy. You cannot have a fair and just society without everyone being properly housed and supported."

The call came as housing minister Margaret Burgess told the conference a further £2m is to be invested in a charitable bond to help boost the supply of affordable homes in Scotland.

The investment will be used by Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association - part of the Places for People Group - to build over 30 homes in Midlothian and East Lothian.

The £2m comes on top of £10m invested in 2013-14, with a further £25m allocated for 2015-16.

The £37m charitable bond pot could allow housing associations to provide up to 600 affordable homes across Scotland, the government says.

Burgess said: “We are determined to ease housing pressures by continuing to explore innovative funding approaches that can help deliver more affordable homes.

"Charitable bonds represent this type of innovation; it is helping increase the supply of affordable homes and delivering vital support for construction and house building companies."

 

Comments

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Trevor
almost 9 years ago
Decent Housing should be a priority especially for people that cannot afford to buy a house. but sadly government after government has failed to listen to cries of the people that are suffering as a result of living in social housing. such homes quickly become "havens of torment" for various reasons. the most common causes for complaint are the homes are structurally unsound and so leaks are likely which leads to dampness which causes frustration and depression. and it is intensified when the tenants approach the home owners who then drag their feet and delay taking action for as long as they can get away with. then you tend to have the other common problem which is noisy neighbors. it is reasonable to say that when you have a group of people packed into an estate that is not built to a high standard it is highly likely that the tenants will soon be at each others throats because of the inadequate sound insulation. which means they unintentionally disturb one another on a daily basis. this is needn't be such a widespread problem if the councils and housing authorities made sure that all social housing is built to a high standard. I understand that due to the current situation, councils and housing associations are more interested in finding ways to save rather than spend money. and so they allow housing to be built which tend to be poor quality and when people move in they quickly feel frustrated and tormented and depressed because of the failure of the consistent failures on the part of the authorities. councils for example will say they are listening to the public's concern's but their actions don't match their words. and that has been allowed to become the norm. it is seen everywhere but especially in areas where people are poor. I regularly feel depressed and frustrated due to the situation I am in. night after night I struggle to sleep because of the noise made by my neighbor. night after night I hear her banging and dragging to the point where sometimes I lose self control and stamp down on the floor. I know that's not the correct way to deal with difficult stressful situations. but she is an unreasonable person and so even though She is well aware of the effect her activities have upon me night after night and I have approached her numerous times, even resorting to making an official complaint to the housing authority. none of that has been effective. she just carries on as if she does not care. and yet her behavior is effecting my health physically and mentally but she is unwilling to compromise. the London borough of Brent is well known for its history of providing poor quality housing. its little wonder Brent is always stressed out for one reason or another.
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