A cross-sector response co-ordinated by the ‘Scottish RSL Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis’, a collaborative response group set up by Positive Action in Housing, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations to co-ordinate a sector wide response to the Syrian refugee crisis, has resulted in housing associations and co-operatives across Scotland offering up to 350 homes to aid the response of local authorities.

With the aim of helping local authority partners identify relevant homes for families relocating to Scotland as part of the VPR scheme, Positive Action in Housing asked housing associations to pledge how many properties they could potential allocate to families through the VPR scheme, resulting in a collective offer of up to 350 homes. This will help local authorities to match homes with the families they are helping through the VPR scheme.

Jim Strang, chair of the Scottish RSL Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis and CEO of Parkhead HA, said: “I’m more than delighted that we as a sector we can hold our heads up high, when people were in the middle of a humanitarian crises, we stepped up to the plate.”

Mary Taylor, CEO at Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, added: “Scotland’s housing sector has a long history of helping people on housing need, and the fantastic response from the housing associations and co-operatives from Scotland reinforces the humanitarian ethos that underpins the housing association movement in Scotland.”