Homes for Scotland Launches ‘Homes Build Futures’ Campaign to Tackle National Housing Emergency
With Scotland’s housing emergency deepening and more than 250,000 people stuck on waiting lists, Homes for Scotland (HFS) has launched a major new campaign calling for housing to become the number one priority in the 2025 Holyrood election.
The campaign, titled “Homes Build Futures”, sets out an urgent call to action for politicians, communities, and civic leaders to address Scotland’s chronic shortage of homes across all tenures – private, rented, and social housing.
A National Crisis Demanding National Leadership
Launching the campaign, Jane Wood, Chief Executive of Homes for Scotland, said:
“Scotland is in a national housing emergency. One in four households is struggling with housing need, 13 local authorities have declared emergencies, and housing delivery has stalled. For too long, this issue has sat in the ‘too hard to solve’ box. It must now become the defining priority for the next Scottish Government.”
She added:
“We want to shift the conversation beyond homelessness and social housing alone. This is about the full range of housing needs – rented, owned, and affordable. Scots must be asking what is being done to build quality homes for their families and for future generations.”
Scotland Falling Behind on Housing Delivery
The statistics underline the scale of the crisis. In 1970, Scotland built over 43,000 homes in a single year. By comparison, in 2024, just 19,988 new homes were completed, excluding conversions. Meanwhile, rising regulation has added an average £20,000 to the cost of every new home, pricing out both builders and buyers.
Cuts to the affordable housing budget in 2023 left an estimated 5,000 homes stalled, across both public and private developments. Without long-term funding commitments, HFS warns that many projects remain unviable – a situation mirrored in England, where the UK Government recently unblocked 100,000 homes through its housing accelerator programme.
Campaign Priorities: Homes Build Futures
To reverse this decline, HFS has set out six key actions that must shape Scotland’s future housing strategy:
- Deliver 25,000 homes annually across all tenures, recognising the interconnected role of private and affordable housing.
- Reform housing governance to restore accountability and leadership at national level.
- Fix the planning system, reinstating the presumption in favour of sustainable development to unlock stalled sites.
- Create a stable, long-term policy environment that encourages investment and innovation in housing.
- Support SME housebuilders, particularly in rural, Highland, and Island communities.
- Align housing with Scotland’s economic and net zero strategy, linking tax incentives and skills development to sustainable growth.
A Call to Put Housing First in 2025
As HFS celebrates its 25th year representing Scotland’s homebuilders, the organisation insists that transformational leadership is now required.
“Housing is not just about bricks and mortar – it underpins economic growth, health, education, and community wellbeing,” said Wood. “The next Scottish Government must own this issue, invest in solutions, and work with both local and national partners to build the homes Scotland so urgently needs.”
Homes Build Futures will continue throughout 2025, engaging voters, politicians, and civic groups to ensure that housing takes centre stage at Holyrood.
