Campaign Launch Day - 26th January

Aye We Can!

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations will launch its Year of the Homecoming campaign and Monday, 26th January, 2009.

An unashamed play on the Scottish Government's Homecoming Scotland initiative - which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns - our campaign, we believe, is the type of initiative Burns himself would be supporting were he alive today.

A campaigner for social justice, he would see the injustice of almost half a million people still on housing association and council house waiting lists in 2009. And Burns would be wrtiting about the obscenity of Scotland still having over 30,000 people assessed as "priority homeless", despite all the obvious wealth that surrounds us, even in these trying times

But, as well as being a visionary, Rabbie was also a realist, and he would also grasp the common sense of building affordable homes for rent as the recession bites and the construction industry bleeds, and private housebuilding grinds to a halt. Rabbie would see the innate sense in preserving the skills of bricklayers, roofers, electricians, plumbers, architects and planners, of keeping them working and earning, constucting much needed affordable homes now - but also with an eye to the future when they could do even more, literally build Scotland's future.

So our campaign, whilst being about social justice, is also about more straightforward economic nuts and bolts. We want to see 10,000 new build "starts" of affordable homes for rent in 2009: The houses would take a year or so to completed, but in 2009 these homes would be coming!

As the voice of the housing association movement in Scotland, the SFHA is determined not just to campaign for these new homes - to make demands of our governments in Edinburgh and London - but be an active player in seeing these homes actually delivered. But we will need help - your help!

Ambitious for sure- this would be the fist time Scotland would have built over 10,000 affordable homes for rent in over 30 years. And for the first time ever, Scotland's Parliament would have built 10,000 new homes for Scotland's people.

But to paraphrase another man of 2009, "Aye We Can!" - But only with your active support.

We will be in touch soon directly with all SFHA member organisations. But this is a campaign open to all, so please register with us and keep checking this campaign blog for regular updates - indeed contibute to it though our open accees comments section below.

And if you would like to register an interest in attending the SFHA Year of the Homecoming campaign launch on the morning of Monday, 26th January - yes, the day after Rabbie's birthday - drop us an e-mail: asmart@sfha.co.uk

2009: When Rabbie Meets John Wheatley!

In 2009 we have another landmark anniversary to look forward to, 19th May 2009 - the 140th birthday of housing pioneer John Wheatley, MP for Glasgow Shettleston, and the architect of the 1924 Housing Act - an Act which was the framework for the first ever major programme of affordable housebuilding across the UK.

We plan to make 2009 the year in which Rabbie meets up with John Wheatley to help us, together, build 10,000 vitally needed homes for the people of Scotland - creating up to 50,000 jobs in the process.

And precisely where is our campaign launch you may be asking? Where else but Glasgow, where it all began in 1924? Venue to be confirmed - but it wont be Kelvinside!

10,000 new affordable homes for rent in 2009 - Aye We Can!