Blogs
Tuning Up Housing First: Scotland’s Top 100
Doug Gibson, Business & Innovation Manager at the Homeless Network, provides the second of four blogs in the lead up to Scotland’s major Housing First conference on 22 May 2019.
Published 2 May 2019
Melanie Rees: Housing allocations – is it time for a rethink?
Melanie Rees from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) reflects on a social housing research project by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) and introduces new research on social housing allocations.
Published 1 May 2019
Carole Ewart: Capitalising on the human right to housing
RSLs must embrace the opportunity provided by the new Regulatory Framework to comply with human rights legislation, writes Carole Ewart.
Published 30 April 2019
Aoife Deery: Why local connection and intentionality homelessness tests need to change
Shelter Scotland campaigns & policy officer, Aoife Deery, discusses the Scottish Government’s consultation on its plans to change the rules around local connection and intentionality with regards to homelessness.
Published 26 April 2019
Laura Brennan: Greater awareness needed of tactics of quick home buy companies
Laura Brennan, trainee solicitor at Govan Law Centre, explains the pitfalls of giving equity away to a quick home buy company in times of financial distress.
Published 26 April 2019
David Bookbinder: Nothing old-fashioned about voluntarism
Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) director David Bookbinder issues a defence of volunteer-based governance models.
Published 25 April 2019
Housing First Scotland: Sizing it Up
Claire Frew, policy & impact manager at the Homeless Network, provides the first of four blogs in the lead up to Scotland’s major Housing First conference on 22 May 2019.
Published 25 April 2019
Dr Graham Paterson: The need to entice young people into construction
City Building’s executive director, Dr Graham Paterson, on how education must work with employers to encourage more young people and women into construction.
Published 24 April 2019
Mike Bruce: Not all Scottish RSLs are resistant to paying Board members
Mike Bruce suggests an alternative headline for Scottish Housing News, and offers an informative look at the question of board remuneration in the process.
Published 18 April 2019
Karen Campbell: Options for affordable home ownership
This is the final blog in a series reflecting on approaches to delivering alternative tenures in Scotland. In the first post, Professor Moira Munro reflects on the discussion from a recent roundtable; in the second post, Dr Richard Jennings shared his experience of delivering mid-market rent; and in the third blog, Dr John Boyle reflected on the small but growing Build to Rent market in Scotland. This blog, by Karen Campbell (Scottish Futures Trust), focuses on emerging options for affordable home ownership for households across Scotland.
Published 16 April 2019
Dr John Boyle: Build to rent is here to stay
This is the third in a series of blog posts reflecting on approaches to delivering alternative tenures in Scotland. In the first post, Professor Moira Munro reflects on the discussion from a recent roundtable; and, in the second post, Dr Richard Jennings shared his experience of delivering mid-market rent. In this post, Dr John Boyle (Rettie & Co.) reflects on the small but growing Build to Rent market in Scotland.
Published 15 April 2019
David Alexander: England to follow Scotland’s lead on ‘no fault’ evictions
The announcement by the UK Government that they will end no fault evictions is welcome news and long overdue and follows the path that already exists in Scotland, writes David Alexander.
Published 15 April 2019
Dr Richard Jennings: Flexibility and Adaptability – Mid-market rent and the supply of affordable housing
This is the second in a series of blog posts reflecting on approaches to delivering alternative tenures in Scotland. In the first post, Professor Moira Munro reflects on some of the main points of discussion from a recent roundtable hosted by Shelter Scotland. In this post, the second in the series, Dr Richard Jennings reflects on the role of mid-market rent – a form of affordable housing where tenants generally pay a lower rent than the market rent level in a given area, but more than local social housing tenants. Starting rents are usually similar to the Local Housing Allowance and are usually suitable for people on incomes that are not quite enough to afford home ownership or private sector rents.
Published 12 April 2019
Professor Moira Munro: Approaches to delivering alternative tenures
The UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) recently co-organised a roundtable with Shelter Scotland, SFHA, ALACHO, Scottish Futures Trust, and Rettie & Co., to discuss the role of alternative tenures (build-to-rent, mid-market rent, shared ownership) and delivery/funding models, and how best to provide choice of tenure, within the wider context of delivering more affordable housing in Scotland. Attendees heard from three speakers whose presentations will be summarised in a series of blog posts over the course of this week. In this post, the first in the series, Professor Moira Munro reflects on the discussion that took place on the day.
Published 11 April 2019
Paul Nelis: Not the usual suspects in Maryhill
Paul Nelis considers the value of having young people take control in their communities… why not! Maryhill Housing Association and YOMO took the bold step to enable young people to lead the PB process for Ruchill and Maryhill. The participatory budgeting (PB) event attracted lots of people, it was well planned and without a doubt our young adults ensured that lots of much older adults got the opportunity to express their democratic right to have their say. We need more of this!
Published 9 April 2019
