A FIVE-year plan is “desperately needed” in Dumfries and Galloway to properly address the region’s housing crisis, a councillor argued this week.
North West Dumfries Councillor Paula Stevenson, who first called for a housing emergency to be declared in the region last summer, insisted that longer term planning is essential.
The Labour councillor is seeking up-to-date homelessness figures from council chiefs this week, and she also underlined that thousands of households across Dumfries and Galloway are still awaiting their needs being addressed.
Speaking ahead of the full council meeting this Thursday where the council’s emergency housing action plan will be discussed, Councillor Stevenson said: “Right now in our region 845 families are waiting for specialist housing and 546 families are overcrowded.
“These figures are repeated right throughout Scotland. Councils desperately need five-year funding so that modern, fit for purpose housing can be built in a more productive manner.
“The housing crisis is systemic but we need to get this right so people aren’t homeless, overcrowded or feel like a prisoner in their own homes.”
This time last year, the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) published its risk assessment of social landlords and the delivery of homelessness services in some areas of Scotland.
Dumfries and Galloway was one of eight councils deemed to be at heightened risk of “systemic failure” in its statutory housing duties to the public.
The housing emergency plan report, due to be tabled at the council meeting, states: “Whilst the local authority continues to meet its statutory obligation to provide temporary accommodation for households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, this is a continuing pressure at this time as indicated by a number of breaches of the unsuitable accommodation order.”
The Scottish Housing Regulator is scrutinising the council’s housing department and demanding assurances on how people will access homelessness services, the council’s assessment of homelessness applications, and the provision of temporary accommodation to homeless people.
