Scotland is investing in new action to bring thousands of empty homes back to life and help tackle the country’s deepening housing emergency.
A £2 million boost to the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership will support the recruitment of additional local officers tasked with identifying and restoring privately owned properties that currently lie unused.
These new Empty Homes Officers will take a hands-on, targeted approach to tackling long-term vacancies and turning them into homes for those who need them most.
The funding will also help local authorities ramp up their efforts by supporting compulsory purchase orders, training new staff and growing local services.
Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said the move is a vital step in the national response to Scotland’s housing crisis.
“At a time when so many families are struggling to find a place to live, it is simply unacceptable that homes should lie empty,” she said.
“Bringing these properties back into use is not only practical, it is urgent.”
She added that tackling housing need is essential to the government’s wider mission to eradicate child poverty.
“Safe, secure housing is a fundamental part of any child’s wellbeing,” she said.
The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which leads on the initiative, says that more than 11,000 homes have been brought back into use since 2010, but there is still much more to do.
National Manager Tahmina Nizam said the new funding will help expand that impact even further.
“Every home matters as we work together to end Scotland’s housing emergency,” she said.
“These new officers will bring energy, focus and local knowledge to the challenge of empty properties.”
Some councils have already started, with officers now in post in Edinburgh and recruitment under way in others.
Ms Nizam added that every empty property represents both a challenge and an opportunity.
“Homes weren’t built to sit empty,” she said.
“Each one has the potential to change someone’s life.
“And together, they have a powerful role to play in reducing housing need right across the country.”
With local authorities stepping up, and fresh resources being made available, the message is clear in a housing emergency, no home should go to waste.
