Dundee leaders have been urged to make social housing a priority ahead of next month’s council election.
Shelter Scotland held an event in Dundee city centre on Wednesday to push for rapid action on social housing construction.
The housing charity shared its petition calling for action to locals in City Square.
A foam bricks and mortar display at the demonstration was designed to symbolise the importance of housing.
Director of Shelter Scotland Alison Watson told said: “We want to bring people together to say really clearly to everyone standing in local elections to please make social housing priority.
“We have a community hub here in Dundee; we see day in day out the terrible effects of people not having a home, all of the disruptions to family life, etc.
She continued: “We’re all the same; we build our lives in the homes that we live in.
“If you are homeless and going into temporary accommodation in Dundee today, it’s going to be 285 days on average before you get a permanent offer of accommodation.”
Targets to combat homeless figures
The Scottish Government has pledged to build 110,000 homes by 2032, 70% dedicated to social housing under the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP).
Data from Shelter shows Dundee will need to build more than 600 homes to keep in accordance with government initiatives to tackle the crisis.
However, councils across Scotland are struggling to reach the targets set.
Data provided by Shelter revealed that more than 1,000 households in Dundee were assessed as homeless between 2020-2021.
Cost of living crisis affecting households
The cost of living crisis has added further strain to struggling households.
On Wednesday, it was announced that inflation is now at a staggering rate of 7%, the highest figure in 30 years.
Alison said: “Shelter Scotland already has been taking calls on our helpline from people worried about keeping up with rent, keeping up with mortgage payments.
“We know that half of people in Scotland are worried about keeping up with housing costs. That goes up to 57% for families with children.”
She added: “There’s a tremendous strain on household budgets.
“Let’s stop the housing emergency. Not manage it, stop it.”
Travelling petition
Shelter Scotland are scheduled to hold another event in Edinburgh next Wednesday, and in Glasgow the following day.
Shelter Scotland’s petition can be found on its website.
