New research by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE), commissioned by Shelter Scotland, says the incoming More Homes Scotland agency could remove barriers to delivery and expand the supply of affordable housing, but warns it needs clarity over its purpose, priorities and how success will be assessed.

The analysis cautions that each year Scotland falls short on building social homes, more people are driven into homelessness and a growing number of children spend prolonged periods in temporary accommodation.

With 10,480 children currently in temporary accommodation, Shelter Scotland wants reducing affordable housing need placed at the heart of the Scottish Government's More Homes Scotland agency.

The report poses a central policy question: should the agency's primary aim be to reduce affordable housing need or to increase housing supply across all tenures? The authors emphasise they would prioritise addressing the housing emergency's significant unmet affordable need.

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Shelter Scotland agrees and insists the objective must be explicit. Research indicates Scotland requires at least 15,693 affordable homes annually to begin cutting need. Progress, it argues, should be measured by fewer people experiencing homelessness and fewer children waking up without a home, with social housebuilding treated as a national mission across government, local authorities and the housing sector.

Professor Kenneth Gibb, Director of CaCHE and lead author of the report, said: "There is strong support across the housing sector for the principle of More Homes Scotland, but our research found that important decisions remain to be made about its purpose, powers and priorities. The agency needs a clear mission, strong partnerships and the ability to tackle barriers relating to land, infrastructure, planning and investment. Only then can it make a meaningful contribution to housing delivery and addressing affordable housing need."

Shelter Scotland Interim Director Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae said: "Every year we fail to build enough social homes; more people are pushed into homelessness. For many, that can mean years without the stability of a permanent home and real harm to children's wellbeing, education and future opportunities. The longer we wait, the harder it becomes to reverse that damage.

"The housing emergency is not inevitable. It is the result of decades of underinvestment and failing to build enough of the homes people need, where they need them. Building the social homes Scotland needs must now become a national mission.

"More Homes Scotland has the opportunity to help change that trajectory. The test for the new agency is clear: does it help more people find a safe, secure and affordable home? To get those children out of temporary accommodation, we need more homes, more quickly. With the right funding, powers and focus, More Homes Scotland can help deliver the homes Scotland desperately needs."