How to build a better house

In her latest TFN column, our Chief Officer Sara Redmond explores how Scotland can move from coping to truly thriving.

Winter is upon us and everywhere you look people are bracing for the cold weather; wrapping up warm, budgeting for rising bills, topping up electricity meters. Everyone is gearing up for the winter season, not least the public sector, with health and social care winter preparedness plans, fuel support schemes, and emergency funds being discussed. The country is yet again in a state of preparedness, but too often it feels like we are preparing only to cope rather than to thrive. What would it look like if Scotland was prepared not just for winter, but for wellbeing?  

The picture on the ground is far from pretty. The lived reality of rising energy costs, food insecurity and growing debt is that people in communities across Scotland are facing real hardship. Failing policies are leaving people at risk, and our Community Links Worker (CLW) programme sees first hand the cold, hard impact of this. Through our programme, CLWs help people navigate financial difficulties, access community support and avoid the worst of fuel poverty. 

Every day, CLWs see the tangible effects of policy gaps, whether that’s families being forced to choose between heating and eating, disabled people struggling with rising bills, or unpaid carers at capacity.. The most dedicated workers are operating within a system stretched far too thin, and that gap between need and support is where the real pressure, and only just coping, lies. 

So what does a truly prepared system look like? The Scotland Demands Better campaign puts it best with their practical, justice-focused vision. The campaign’s calls for affordable housing, accessible transport, and strong social safety nets are ones the ALLIANCE backed early on. What comes next should be a society where everyone has what they need to live with dignity and respect, not only during winter, but always. Robust systems must be put in place to facilitate communities, local authorities and third sector working together on preventative approaches. It is about not just reacting to society’s problems as they arise, but the government being prepared for whatever is thrown at them.  

Too often, government responses feel like a game of whack-a-mole; one crisis hits, a quick fix appears, and then attention moves on. Meanwhile, third-sector organisations are left juggling year-to-year funding, never quite able to plan beyond the next twelve months. What we need is a shift in thinking; multi-year investment, real commitment to social infrastructure, and policies designed to last with genuine implementation strategies. 

These aren’t abstract asks. They were the heart of our joint letter with CCPS supported by our members to the First Minister, and they remain urgent. Hope for the future is important, but it counts for little without action in the here and now. 

We can keep patching up leaks, or we can build a better house. Preparedness isn’t just about bracing for impact and surviving the season; it is about ensuring that no one falls through the cracks. This means long-term investment in homes, wages, care, and communities. It means a government that plans for fairness and equality, not just emergencies. Preparedness means justice too – anything less is an abdication.   

This article first appeared in TFN’s November edition.

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