Fairer Scotland

  • Growing the Social Economy – Update October 2017

    11th October 2017 by

    There have been many changes within Growing the Social Economy since our last update.  The team managing the programme is now located within the Social Justice & Regeneration Division alongside Aspiring Communities Fund colleagues. We would like to take this opportunity to thank David Cowan and his team for making us welcome.  Yvonne Strachan is...

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  • Scottish Housing Day supports housing across all tenures

    21st September 2017 by

    Home means different things to different people and that’s something that Scottish Housing Day rightly celebrates. But it should mean one thing to all of us- the security that we have somewhere we can afford to call home. Too many people, stung by the UK Government’s damaging welfare reforms, have lacked this security and over...

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  • Scottish Housing Day celebrates everything the housing sector is doing to improve people’s lives

    21st September 2017 by

    Having a place to call home is crucial to a happy and healthy life and everyone in Scotland should have a safe and warm place to call home. All of us will have a housing story, and I know some of you have shared your own. Housing also has a wider value beyond a place...

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  • Housing has the power to change lives

    21st September 2017 by

    As Housing Minister I have seen first-hand the difference the right home in the right place can make to an individual, a couple or a family. Last month I opened a new housing association development and one of the families I spoke to, whose child has autism, told me their new home and its garden...

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  • Delivering social security to Scotland’s people

    19th September 2017 by

    Last week we marked the 20th anniversary of the devolution referendum. In that 1997 referendum vote the majority of people in Scotland made it clear that they wanted decisions that affected them to be made closer to home to meet the needs of our communities and all those who choose to live and work in our...

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  • Housing (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill introduced to Parliament

    5th September 2017 by

    Legislation will support the delivery of 50,000 new affordable homes I’m delighted that legislation to support the delivery of 50,000 new affordable homes and protect the Scottish Government’s budget has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament. The Housing (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill responds to last year’s decision by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that Registered...

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  • Social Innovation for Hidden Disabilities

    15th August 2017 by

    Many thanks Glyn Morris from Friendly Access who has provided our first guest blog: I have always said “we all know that whilst an impairment cannot necessarily be changed, the​ ​environment often can, making the environment the disabling factor”.  It’s for this reason Friendly Access was established to holistically address and improve accessibility across Scotland,...

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  • Poverty & Social Inclusion Update

    6th July 2017 by

    Only 3 weeks remaining to submit Social Innovation Fund Stage 1 and 2 applications. The electronic application submissions must be received by 5pm on Friday 21 July to ApplicationsGrowingtheSocialEconomy@gov.scot. Tips Keep the project title brief and meaningful. Read the application guidance to understand the fund criteria and cost model requirements. Insert match funding that you...

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  • 100,000 thank yous! Celebrating our young volunteers

    8th June 2017 by

    Guest blog from Elaine Gibb, Development Manager at Voluntary Action Scotland The past week has been full of inspiring stories about volunteers and the difference they make to communities across Scotland. As we reach the end of Volunteers’ Week 2017, Voluntary Action Scotland and the Third Sector Interface (TSI) Network are delighted to celebrate a...

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  • Elevating women in leadership is not only the right thing to do- it’s the smart thing to do

    2nd June 2017 by

    Originally published in the Scotland on Sunday- 28th May 2017 Why is it important that there are women and more women in positions of leadership across the public and private sectors in Scotland? Hillary Clinton famously summed up the first reason when she said: “human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights,”...

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