The private rented sector must play an even greater role in meeting housing need. That was the call from Communities Minister, Stewart Maxwell, speaking at Shelter's housing conference in Edinburgh.
The Minister set out the Scottish Government's wish to see an even greater involvement from the sector in light of the credit crunch. He also highlighted the main objectives of the current review of private rented housing.
As well as ensuring that the sector is capable of delivering the right types of housing, in the right places - it will also examine a range of options for increasing supply of rented housing for low income and homeless households.
In addition, it will promote partnership working between local authorities and private landlords and assess current trends alongside the views, experiences and aspirations of both landlords and tenants through large scale surveys.
The review will also consider international comparisons, particularly where governments can pool together and use a raft of policy, fiscal and other tax incentives which can stimulate activity in the market.
The review will support the ongoing consultation on regulations to give local authorities greater flexibility to discharge homelessness duties in the private sector.
Crisis expressed concern at the rise in the numbers of homeless women, but warned that even these stark figures underestimate the true scale of the problem.
Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said:
"It is encouraging that the issue of homelessness among women is being brought to wider attention by this report. Crisis has long been extremely concerned about the plight of homeless women - an issue which we highlighted in recent research, which revealed how badly failed by the current system many women are, and how they are often invisible to society.
"Many women lack a secure and stable home - even those with children. They are often left on long waiting lists for social housing. More affordable and social housing is desperately needed to shorten these waiting times that are damaging lives.
"To really improve the lives of some of society's most vulnerable women, more than just a roof and walls is needed. Women who have gone through the horrific experience of homelessness will need extra support to get their lives back on track. Over 60% of homeless women in our study had slept rough, with all the dangers this entails; physical, verbal and sexual assaults are common. Alarmingly, less than 12% of these women had had any contact with rough sleeper teams.
"The scars that such experiences leave, both physical and mental, require specialist help to heal. Crisis works extensively with women on a day-to-day basis, rebuilding confidence, teaching new skills and helping to rebuild lives. This must be made a priority on a national basis if the scandal of these forgotten and failed people is to be rectified."
