Action on housing is critical for our communities to grow and thrive and, across Scotland, local organisations are leading efforts to meet their communities' housing needs.
Community led housing is diverse and includes bringing existing homes into community ownership, refurbishing long-term empty homes, repurposing non-domestic properties as houses and flats, building new homes, providing self-build plots, and creating new crofts with housing.
Communities have already delivered hundreds of homes, and there are many more projects in the pipeline. But this pipeline of future homes – and the benefits for communities and places which it represents – is at risk without sustained and increased political commitment. To secure that commitment, the sector needs to come together, speak with a common voice, and campaign – in the run up to the 2026 Scottish Parliament election – for continued and enhanced support.
The Community Led Housing Alliance has been formed to bring together community organisations and representatives from across Scotland. The Alliance is being coordinated by Scotland’s community housing enablers – South of Scotland Community Housing and Communities Housing Trust – with the support of Community Land Scotland and Development Trusts Association Scotland and funding from the Nationwide Foundation.
Membership of the Alliance is free and open to any community organisation in Scotland with an interest in housing, from those having initial conversations about local housing issues to those who have already delivered a housing project.
Over the course of the coming months, members will take part through in-person events in various parts of the country, online gatherings and other means. Together, we will:
Membership of the Alliance is free and open to any community organisation in Scotland with an interest in housing, from those having initial conversations about local housing issues to those who have already delivered a housing project.
Over the course of the coming months, members will take part through in-person events in various parts of the country, online gatherings and other means. Together, we will:
- develop a shared vision for community led housing in Scotland. Where should we be five years from now?
- evidence why community led housing matters, what communities have achieved so far, and what they could achieve in the next five years with the right support;
- develop shared proposals for how community organisations can best be supported to meet local housing needs and, in doing so, advance the development of their community and place, and;
- campaign for the adoption of our proposals by Scotland's main political parties, and sustained and enhanced support from the next Scottish Government and Parliament.
We know that this issue matters to you and encourage you to join the Alliance and help develop its voice, evidence the potential and benefits of community led housing, and produce shared proposals for Scotland's politicians, Parliament and Government.
To sign up, please complete and submit this form.
If you have any questions, please contact Chris Dalglish, South of Scotland Community Housing (chris.dalglish@sosch.org)
*In filling out this form, you consent to South of Scotland Community Housing and Communities Housing Trust storing, using and otherwise processing the personal data you provide. We will store your data securely and will not publish it or share it with any third parties. We will only contact you in relation to the Community Led Housing Alliance and will not retain your data following completion of the Alliance’s planned activities in 2026.*