In a significant move, the Scottish government declared a housing emergency earlier this month. This unanimous vote across all political parties signals a positive step towards tackling this critical issue.
Shedding light on the complex dimensions of the housing crisis, a Homes for Scotland report published in January highlighted the greater scale of the issue and the requirement for a broader understanding of housing need in Scotland.
The report also highlights a critical reality beyond statistics: Scotland's housing crisis significantly impacts people's lives. In February, we published a report based on research we commissioned by Shared Voice to gain an understanding of the human dimension of the housing crisis in in East Dunbartonshire.*
To gain insight into the human impact of the housing crisis in East Renfrewshire**, we commissioned a follow-up residents' survey with Shared Voice.
The in-depth conversations explored residents' views and attitudes towards housing in East Renfrewshire, revealing valuable real-life testimonies on the current housing situation, the challenges residents face, and their hopes and aspirations for the future.
The research found that people in East Renfrewshire want to see more homes built locally because it would:
- provide affordable housing
- address the local housing shortage
- help the younger generation onto the property ladder
- allow existing residents to stay in the area, benefitting local shops and businesses and paying local council tax in East Renfrewshire.
The full survey results, based on real-life testimonies from residents, painting a humanising picture of the impact of housing issues on individuals and families can be read here.
* The Homes for Scotland report suggests that there are nearly 14,000 households in East Dunbartonshire have some form of housing need.
** The Homes for Scotland report suggests that nearly 7,900 households East Renfrewshire have some form of housing need.
