The Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland is calling on housing associations and local authorities to recommit their support for their domestic abuse campaign, Make a Stand, at Scotland’s Housing Festival 2025, opening today (Tuesday 4 March 2025) at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
The professional body for people who work in housing is taking the opportunity of its annual conference in Scotland to raise awareness of the housing sector’s responsibility to victims/survivors of domestic abuse.
The Make a Stand campaign was launched in 2018 to encourage social landlords to commit to making positive changes in their practice to support victims/survivors of domestic abuse.
Despite over 70 social landlords in Scotland pledging support to the campaign, we know from our own research that most social landlords do not have an appropriate domestic abuse policy. This means they are not adequately addressing the main cause of homelessness for women.
While the Housing (Scotland) Bill currently being considered by Parliament will require all social landlords to have a policy, CIH Scotland is calling for Scotland’s social landlords to get ahead of the requirement and commit to a policy and approach that will help address the housing emergency for those experiencing domestic abuse.
In his opening address to over 500 housing professionals at Scotland’s Housing Festival 2025, Callum Chomczuk, national director of CIH Scotland will call on delegates to “recommit to Make a Stand to help improve housing outcomes of women and children experiencing domestic abuse.”
CIH Scotland recently submitted to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee’s inquiry on financial considerations on leaving an abusive relationship and within that evidence, cited its 2023 report Policies not Promises which highlighted the need for a consistent approach from social landlords to how victims are supported with financial concerns.
Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland stages its annual Housing Festival to bring housing professionals together from a wide range of disciplines to gain and share learning, collaborate and build relationships.
From motivational keynotes to roundtable discussions and networking activities, the festival provides access to a packed line-up of leaders and academics from a wide variety of disciplines, all committed to supporting everyone’s right to a safe place to call home.
To find out more about Scotland’s Housing Festival 2025, visit: