of
HOUSING
of
HOUSING
Scotland's Temporary Accommodation Crisis
Innovative Investment Solutions
Innovative Investment Solutions
Addressing the Temporary Accommodation Crisis
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Morning Seminar
THE SHERATON | EDINBURGH
Introduction
The starkest sign of Scotland’s temporary accommodation crisis is the urgent need for safe emergency and temporary emergency housing. Every day across Scotland’s urban landscape, the magnitude of this need is evident. However, this is not just about ‘street homelessness’; it is the thousands of unseen families who are living in cramped hostels and B&Bs for months, sometimes years. Civic society and the Treasury now require a permanent fix that shifts the billions of pounds spent on welfare and homelessness costs toward the provision of proper homes that can restore dignity.
In the last 20 years, the UK investment market has embraced various forms of residential investment, from the student accommodation boom to single-family and affordable housing; now it must respond with the same level of commitment to the temporary accommodation crisis.
We have assembled a panel of experts for our Roundtable Seminar who will provide practical examples of how this public-private collaboration can work. Full audience participation is encouraged, as we will submit a full report on the event to both the UK and Scottish Governments.
Keynote Speakers
*Click image to see biography
CHRIS DOUGRAY
Event Chair & Founder
Dougray
ALISTAIR CHAPMAN
Development &
Regeneration Lead
Barker Proudlove
SUSAN CAMPBELL
Director
Market Creation (Place)
The Bank
CLLR RUAIRI KELLY
City Convener for Housing
Development, Built Heritage & Land Use
Glasgow City Council
Morning Seminar - possible solutions for today
This seminar is a much-needed and timely response that examines how other national jurisdictions, including Europe, and federal states within the United States have successfully tackled this global urban issue by offering investment and tax incentives.
The solution lies in the involvement and collaboration of all existing stakeholders, but properly resolving this requires a mix of public and private funding and support.
Questions to be addressed would provide assurance that the public purse is being used purposefully, while the private sector gains a reliable, low-risk return on investment.
- What scope exists to encourage private investment through tax changes?
- We need to lobby central, regional, and local governments to a) remove VAT on building refurbishments to encourage greater conversion of existing property, b) implement wider property tax changes such as no council tax/stamp duty, and c) move to a proportional property tax?
- At present, there are several tax-efficient Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), but they typically focus on purchasing existing supply rather than increasing it. Do we create a new tier of REITs for social housing?
- Can we build on the US Tax credits scheme? The Social Investment Tax Relief Scheme was a UK version, but it was not purely focused on housing. Could this be brought back and refocused on social housing?
The Financial Scale
- Since 2020, the UK and Scottish Governments have spent the same amount of money on emergency public housing, yet much of it has gone to welfare payments to hotel and private landlords.
- In 2024–25, Scottish councils spent more than £100 million on hostels and B&Bs for people experiencing homelessness, while 17,240 households were living in temporary accommodation on 31 March 2025.
- Local authority spending on hostels and B&Bs rose from £44.0 million in 2020-21 to £100.4 million in 2024-25, a rise of 128%. Scotland’s temporary accommodation numbers have risen by 6% year-on-year, and the average time from homelessness assessment to case closure has increased to 280 days in 2024-25.
- There were 40,688 homelessness applications in 2024-25, 31,695 open homelessness cases on 31 March 2025, and 16,485 instances where temporary accommodation was not offered.
- These figures are separate to those applying for social housing in Scotland, which in March 2025 stood at over 180,074.
- The Scottish Government plans to invest up to £4.9 billion over four years to deliver around 36,000 affordable homes, but campaigners argue that far more homes are needed to meaningfully reduce homelessness.
- This substantial level of public sector funding can be used more effectively to leverage private and not-for-profit funds to deliver new places to live across Scotland.
Who Should Attend
- Action-oriented housing association chiefs and trustees;
- Fund management professionals interested in the social housing model;
- Legal and advisory consultants helping housing developers navigate new channels;
- Representatives of private family wealth funds;
- Angel investment groups seeking socially responsible investment;
- Local government housing policy professionals seeking fresh thinking;
- Public sector pension fund managers assessing new ways of low-risk, ESG relevant investment.
Agenda
Timings
08.00 – 08.50
Networking and Breakfast
08.00 – 08.50
Welcome from the Chair:
Chris Dougray, Founder, Dougray
09.00 – 09.20
Keynote / Presentation 1:
Chris Cullen, Senior Fund Manager, Head of Homelessness Property Funds, Resonance Ltd (tbc)
From short term emergency spend to investable solutions. A multi-faceted approach where catalytic investment from the public sector, and impact investment can provide homes at scale.
09.20 – 10.20
Panel 1: Panellists:
Alistair Chapman, Development and Regeneration Lead, Barker Proudlove
Chris Cullen, Senior Fund Manager, Head of Homelessness Property Funds, Resonance Ltd (tbc)
Susan Campbell, Director – Market Creation (Place), Scottish National Investment Bank
Tom Corderey, Senior Director, CBRE Capital Advisors (tbc)
Investing in emergency housing investable: a practical solution with public and private sector working together
It has never been the public sector’s priority to build homes. While they have statutory duties in terms of housing, it is mainly through the provision of strategic direction and financial support.
Historically, it has been developers who have delivered homes. The housebuilding model has become mired in the costs now being soaked up by welfare issues.
The panel will look at how investors, including pension funds, and developers can work together to create a pipeline of emergency and temporary accommodation that is fast to deliver, and financially credible.
This session will focus on what makes projects fundable, how risk is allocated, and what kinds of tenure, revenue support, or procurement structures are needed.
10.20 – 10.30
Comfort Break
10.30 – 10.40
Keynote / Presentation 2:
Alistair Chapman, Development & Regeneration Lead, Barker Proudlove
10.40 – 11.25
Panel 2: Panellists:
Cllr Ruairi Kelly, City Convenor for Housing, Build Heritage & Land Use, Glasgow City Council
Shelter Scotland (representative tbc)
John Alexander, Chief Executive, Hillcrest Homes (tbc)
Scottish Government (representative tbc)
City of Edinburgh Council (representative tbc)
Paul Garner, Business Development Manager, Mears Group
A bold change in the relationship: turning the emergency into a system response
There is a danger that ‘desperate’ housing solutions could simply return home ownership to an ‘us-and-them’ situation, ‘landlord and tenant’ model which has proven to be detrimental to those in emergency housing.
This panel will examine how councils, government and the wider housing system need to change to reduce temporary accommodation, accelerate permanent homes, and create the conditions for investment to flow into practical solutions.
This involved finding a new balance between public leadership, local delivery powers, and private capital.
11.25 – 11.30
Thanks and Close
08.00 - 08.50
Networking and Breakfast
08.50 - 09.00
Welcome from the Chair
CHRIS DOUGRAY
Founder
Dougray
09.00 - 09.20
Keynote/presentation 1:
Chris Cullen, Senior Fund Manager, Head of Homelessness Property Funds, Resonance Ltd (tbc)
From short term emergency spend to investable solutions. A multi-faceted approach where catalytic investment from the public sector, and impact investment can provide homes at scale.
09.20 - 10.20
Panel 1: Panellists:
Alistair Chapman, Development & Regeneration Lead, Barker Proudlove
Chris Cullen, Senior Fund Manager, Head of Homelessness Property Funds, Resonance Ltd (tbc)
Susan Campbell, Director of Market Creation (Place), Scottish National Investment Bank
Tom Corderey, Senior Director, CBRE Capital Advisors (tbc)
Investing in emergency housing investable: a practical solution with public and private sector working together
It has never been the public sector’s priority to build homes. While they have statutory duties in terms of housing, it is mainly through the provision of strategic direction and financial support.
Historically, it has been developers who have delivered homes. The housebuilding model has become mired in the costs now being soaked up by welfare issues.
The panel will look at how investors, including pension funds, and developers can work together to create a pipeline of emergency and temporary accommodation that is fast to deliver, and financially credible.
This session will focus on what makes projects fundable, how risk is allocated, and what kinds of tenure, revenue support, or procurement structures are needed.
10.20 - 10.30
Comfort Break
10.30 - 10.40
Keynote/presentation 2:
Alistair Chapman, Development & Regeneration Lead, Barker Proudlove
10.40 - 11.25
Panel 2: Panellists:
Cllr Ruairi Kelly, City Convenor for Housing, Build Heritage & Land Use, Glasgow City Council
Shelter Scotland, (representative tbc)
John Alexander, Chief Executive, Hillcrest Homes (tbc)
Scottish Government, (representative tbc)
City of Edinburgh Council, (representative tbc)
Paul Garner, Business Development Manager, Mears Group
A bold change in the relationship: turning the emergency into a system response
There is a danger that ‘desperate’ housing solutions could simply return home ownership to an ‘us-and-them’ situation, ‘landlord and tenant’ model which has proven to be detrimental to those in emergency housing.
This panel will examine how councils, government and the wider housing system need to change to reduce temporary accommodation, accelerate permanent homes, and create the conditions for investment to flow into practical solutions.
This involved finding a new balance between public leadership, local delivery powers, and private capital.