'Scotland's housing crisis needs a solution- and fast'
For many, it's never been easy to get a house or some sort of safe roof over your head in Scotland.
Some solutions to housing have been catastrophic.
In the 1930s, schemes like Blackhill in Glasgow were built to house thousands displaced by slum clearances.
Yet, with poor standards of living and deprivation becoming the norm in these tenements after the war, what sort of life did this offer many?
When the flats were demolished to make way for the M8, not many tears were shed.
Ensuring everyone has a safe, clean and appropriate place to live should be a hugely important priority for every government
That's why it's so fundamental solutions are not just provided but actually work out for those affected.
READ MORE:
Scotland's Housing Crisis: McAllan to deliver emergency plan
'It's time John Swinney got his hard hat on to build more homes'
Housing secretary feels 'personal weight' to prioritise children
Solving housing has been a problem which has plagued nations across the world.
In some places, certain aspects of housing are worse - a point Scotland's new housing secretary was keen to stress to me during our sit-down interview last week.
'Proportionately, the availability of social homes in Scotland is 47% higher than in England and 73% higher in Wales,' Mairi McAllan emphasised.
This is correct but what is happening elsewhere should not distract from the fact that the situation is still shocking and unacceptable here.
In Scotland right now, house numbers are plummeting and ten thousand children in temporary accommodation - the highest since records began.
Over 250,000 stuck on social housing waiting lists and thousands are priced out of owning homes.
I posed all these key issues to the cabinet secretary and she promised that she will have answers in the form of an emergency plan.
What is this plan, you may ask?
Well, we will have to wait until MSPs come back from their holidays after the Scottish Parliament Summer recess to find out, I'm told.
In fairness to the cabinet secretary, she is just in the door when it comes to this portfolio but it's been 18 years since the SNP took power and we are still waiting for a credible solution to the housing crisis.
And here's another eyebrow-raising point: When asked if this plan will include more investment, the cab sec said the capital position in Scotland is 'very difficult' at the moment and they will have to think 'creatively' when it comes to solutions.
I'm not quite sure how you build more houses - which the government must do to tackle the problem - without more money.
Shelter Scotland told The Herald they welcomed the pledge to deliver an emergency plan but they want to see delivery as soon as possible.
Their director Alison Watson said: 'We need radical and urgent action with a clear and explicit plan which shows how we will bring the number of those experiencing homelessness down and how the Scottish Government will reach its target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032."
If the Scottish Government is serious about tackling Scotland's housing crisis (declared over a year ago now), they must develop a substantial amount of good social housing. They owe that to countless families who deserve a better life.
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