Housing focus must change...

Planning Daily Reports:

Low-cost home ownership is failing to reach hundreds of thousands of low income households, according to research by Shelter today Full item here

The shelter web pages describe:

Would-be first time buyers are still locked out of home ownership as mortgages remain out of reach and hefty deposits are still required, new research for Shelter Scotland reveals (June 10)

Shelter Scotland today (1 July 2010) responded to the Scottish Government's announcement of the £30 million third tranche of funding for affordable housing.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, the housing and homelessness charity, said

“With less money in the pot next year, and future years, tackling Scotland’s housing crisis will need both new thinking and urgent action. We know there is no replacement for building more housing which would tackle the root of the problem. In the coming years we need to be smarter about how we use existing properties, improve the role of housing associations, private landlords and do more to protect council housing. Some of the ideas in the housing discussion paper if implemented swiftly would help those families desperately waiting for a home.”

As the Housing Need and Demand Assessment has shown for Highland, demand for homes that people can afford to live in outstrips supply.