Edinburgh schoolgirl helps front campaign for action on Scotland's housing crisis
An Edinburgh schoolgirl is helping to front a new campaign calling for urgent action to address Scotland’s housing crisis.
Nine-year-old Eimear O’Leary was among a number of young people - future voters - who joined Cabinet Secretary for Housing Màiri McAllan for the launch of ‘Homes Build Futures’ at St Andrew’s House on Tuesday.
Spearheaded by Homes for Scotland (HFS), the campaign aims to highlight the need for more homes of all tenures, while encouraging the public to push the issue up the political agenda ahead of next year’s Holyrood election.
Eimear O’Leary, who features in the Homes Build Futures billboard campaign and video, presented a model of a home to the Housing Secretary to mark the launch.
“We are learning about rights in school and having a safe home should be a right for every child. Having a home means that you have a safe and secure place to be with your family,” said Eimear, who attends Bonaly Primary.
“It’s also somewhere you can do your homework and invite your friends to play. Some children don’t have this and that makes me really sad. I’m happy to support this campaign so that we can have enough homes for everyone.”
While a national housing emergency was declared in May last year, new housing starts and completions remain in decline and the latest homeless statistics show a record number of households in temporary accommodation.
Homes for Scotland CEO Jane Wood said: “Whether on homelessness, waiting lists or the ongoing decline in the number of homes being built, the figures on housing speak for themselves and, frankly, Scotland’s people deserve better. That is the bottom line.
“The Homes Build Futures campaign aims to tackle this head-on in what is a vital period ahead of next year’s Scottish Parliament election, informing civic society to encourage more voices to join the collective push on our politicians for a resolution.”
As the representative body for the home building sector, Homes for Scotland’s 2026 Manifesto – also published this week – sets out a number of recommended actions to reverse the downwards trajectory in housebuilding and ensure that Scotland reaps the wide-ranging social and economic benefits that are available from achieving this.
Key HFS Manifesto calls include an all-tenure housing target to deliver a minimum of 25,000 new homes; an enabled and supported planning system that encourages and facilitates residential development; and targeted support for SME home builders to increase sector capacity.
The campaign also has the backing of leading homelessness charity Social Bite, which is already helping those affected by the housing crisis with its innovative Social Bite Villages in Edinburgh and South Lanarkshire.
Founder Josh Littlejohn said: “There has never been a more crucial time for an initiative such as Homes Build Futures. It’s imperative that we find a long-term solution to the housing crisis which is leaving so many people vulnerable.”
“Temporary accommodation is not the answer, that’s been made very clear – we need quality, dignified homes for individuals and families which suit their need for safety, security and community.”