Social justice secretary Shona Robison has announced an additional £2.4 million in funding to help people struggling to afford food and other essentials. The funds will go to four organisations to distribute mainly on a ‘cash-first’ basis to people in immediate need in the face of
Sfha
The Scottish Government has decided not to extend rent controls for social housing providers beyond March 2023 with social landlord representatives bodies announcing their members’ plans for below-inflation rent increases for the next financial year. COSLA has issued a statement of intent whic
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) and CIH have criticised the Scottish Government for reducing its funding for the Affordable Supply Programme as part of its 2023-24 Scottish Budget yesterday.
Steph Elliot continues the SFHA's monthly TECH column with a call for organisations to sign up to the TEC in Housing Charter. The reach of the housing sector extends across Scotland and services millions of people in every community. Individually and as a collective we have the potent
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has welcomed plans for welfare benefits to keep pace with inflation but expressed concern that other measures announced as part of the UK Government’s Autumn statement don’t go far enough to protect social housing tenants during an u
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has urged the UK Government to increase benefits in line with inflation after its members reported that more working tenants are being affected by the cost of living crisis, with some struggling to afford commuting expenses. The findings of
North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie and local councillor Jonny Tepp joined representatives from the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) in a visit to Kingdom Housing Association’s largest green housing development to date. The £6.9 million development at Balgove Road in Gaul
TECH is launching its Analogue to Digital telephony switch-off awareness campaign with a countdown to the 2025 switch-off. Steph Elliot explains more in the monthly TECH column from the SFHA. In 2025 the current, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
SFHA has submitted a response to the second part of the Scottish Government’s consultation on the new build heat standard. The proposed standard, which is set to come into force in 2024, will prohibit any new building applying for a building warrant to make use of a direct emissions heating sy
A group of housing organisations have written to John Swinney, the acting cabinet secretary for finance and the economy, urging the Scottish Government to prioritise the delivery of social homes in the upcoming budget. The letter to the deputy first minister was signed by Shelter Scotland, the
The Scottish Federation of Housing Association (SFHA) has said that demand for its new round of funding has highlighted the unprecedented scale of the energy crisis as well as housing associations and co-operatives’ determination to help tenants with spiralling fuel costs. This latest £2
Housing associations make further pitch against rent freeze as legislation is laid before Parliament
Housing associations have joined letting agents and bodies in expressing fears that the Scottish Government’s rent freeze proposals, which are being introduced to the Scottish Parliament today, will “jeopardise” affordable housebuilding and result in a reduction in the nu
The social housing sector provides one of the most important protections from poverty in Scotland, attendees at the 47th AGM of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) heard this week as its members reflected on the successes and challenges of 2021/22. Members also heard how, during t
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has said that its members are key to tackling the cost of living crisis, but soaring construction costs, net zero targets and proposed government rent controls all threaten social landlords’ ability to play their part. Giving evidence to t
In the monthly TECH column from the SFHA, Steph Elliot introduces the Healthier Homes initiative. The Healthier Homes initiative, supported by TECH, is a four-phased project to understand, test and evaluate if the combination of digital technologies, customer engagement, partnership working, an