Taylor Cowe

1.5 million people in Scotland live in housing that is overcrowded, dangerous, unstable or unaffordable. In May of 2024 the Scottish government declared a national housing emergency citing issues of increased pressure on homelessness services, rising property prices and high levels of temporary accommodation.

One of the many factors in this crisis is Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). This is a lightweight, structurally compromised material used extensively in social housing from the 1960s through the 1990s.  The use of this material and subsequent failures to address the issue has affected thousands of households in Scotland, costing many their homes.