A reflection on 2022: Supporting those most in need through multiple challenges

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly the end of the year. While 2022 saw a return to parts of our pre-Covid lives, we have again faced huge problems, not least the devastating cost of living crisis hitting straight after the worst of the pandemic. This has brought multiple challenges for housing associations, co-operatives and tenants and dealt a significant blow to the hope that we would have more stability and certainty in 2022.

We saw further uncertainty with the Scottish Government’s rent freeze for the social and private housing sectors to March 2023 and potential rent caps beyond. While we understood and supported the aim to protect tenants, the unintended consequences of this legislation threatened our members’ core purpose: providing affordable homes to people in housing need, managing and maintaining them and sustaining tenancies. Having worked with the Scottish Government and MSPs from across the parliament, we hope that a solution is now in sight which will provide security to both tenants and our members, and we thank everyone who has been involved in this complex and extremely fast-paced process.

Despite all of this, our members have continued to demonstrate the resilience of Scotland’s social housing sector and its ability to support those in need. You have, once again, gone the extra mile, as you did during the pandemic, to help tenants by providing a broad and deep range of energy and financial support services as well as getting food on people’s tables

This year would have been even more difficult if it weren’t for the support of our associates, strategic partners and many stakeholder organisations – who have helped SFHA, and our members, to navigate the multiple challenges faced. On behalf of SFHA, and our members, I would like to thank you for your vital contribution to our work.

Undoubtedly, we will face continued – and new – challenges in 2023 – but we will meet these together, demonstrating our strength and adaptability and supporting tenants throughout the cost of living crisis and others which may come. Above all, we must remain hopeful that we will see more stability and an economic recovery in 2023.

There is no sector I would rather work in and for – what SFHA, our members, stakeholders, partners and associates have achieved together in 2022 is remarkable, and, while there will always be more we can do, we should all take pride in what we have done. 

So, on behalf of all of us here, staff and board, I wish you a restful and peaceful Christmas. I hope you find time to spend with the people you love, reflecting on the year gone by and looking forward with hope and optimism to the year to come.