Housing charity Shelter Scotland is today calling on Scottish Ministers to make the upcoming Scottish budget a 'Budget for Homes' by investing an extra £200m a year in new affordable homes to rent.

The charity is calling on Cabinet Secretary for Finance John Swinney to make homelessness and bad housing his top priority and have calculated that an extra £200 million a year - or 0.6% of the Scottish budget - would help Scotland build 10,000 affordable homes to rent each year for the next three years.

The call is contained in the charity's new report, Building Solutions, which is being submitted to the Finance Secretary as he prepares for the Scottish budget next month, and follows its recent report which revealed that the number of social homes in Scotland is at a 50-year low.

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Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, housing charity, said: "The Scottish Government has the chance to build a legacy of homes for the people of Scotland, build our way out of a recession and build on our reputation as the leading nation in Europe tackling homelessness. The 2010 Budget must be the 'Budget for Homes'.

"Despite recent Government announcements about record numbers of homes, with thousands still lost to right to buy and the numbers in need of a home still growing, we are just treading water. We cannot hide from the fact that we must build more houses."

He said £200 million extra is equivalent to only 0.6% of the Scottish Budget and would not only help build 10,000 new homes for people on waiting lists but revitalise communities and provide a much needed boost to the Scottish construction industry.

"In the history of the Scottish Parliament there has never been a more pressing need for investment in affordable homes to rent. This budget will determine how Scotland delivers its historic commitment to end homelessness by 2012. With the eyes of the world upon us we cannot afford to fail," Mr Brown continued.

The budget submission and tour of Scotland are part of Shelter Scotland's campaign, Countdown to 2012, which is building support for more homes for Scotland. Events have been held in Blairgowrie, East Lothian, Shetland, and Inverurie, with planned visits to Glasgow and East Kilbride.

(GK/KMcA)