“The time for action is now”, former Scotland rugby captain to tackle housing need in Scotland

Former Scotland Rugby captain, Kelly Brown, has been appointed Director of Places for People Scotland, overseeing the thousands of much-needed social homes the charity provides across the country. 
 
Kelly - who won 64 caps for his country in a playing career that saw him make over 350 club appearances for Border Reivers, Glasgow Warriors, and Saracens – joined the Places for People Group as a Regional Director in 2023 after leaving his coaching role with Saracens. 
 
He will now replace Katie Smart as Director of Places for People Scotland (PfPS) which is one of Scotland's leading charitable housing associations owning and managing over 9,000 homes across the country, predominantly social rent. Katie is taking up a new role of Director of Customer Excellence at Places for People Group. 
 
PfPS is part of the Places for People Group (PfP) which owns or manages over 245,000 properties, homes to 500,000 customers across the UK, and is committed to doing all it can to ensure everyone has somewhere to call home. It has the largest building pipeline in its sector with over 13,000 homes expected over the next five years - 2,500 in Scotland - and more than 2,000 completions set for this year alone.   
 
Kelly Brown, Director of PfPS, said: “Homelessness is at a record high in Scotland with 17,424 households being either homeless or at risk. In Scotland alone, there are 253,000 people waiting for a social home, with 90,000 of those being children. Scottish Government and 13 of Scotland’s councils have all declared a housing emergency – and the time for action is now.  
 
“A good-quality, stable and safe home is what everyone deserves and for a child it’s so important for the start you’re able to make in life. I’m honoured to be taking up this role in which I will work hard to ensure our 9,000 homes across Scotland, mainly for social rent, provide our Customers with a place to thrive. 
 
“PfPS continues to play a big role in building more of the desperately needed homes across Scotland, with 2,500 expected over the next five years. Beyond bricks and mortar, however, there are also so many challenges social housing Customers face every day such as financial issues, health and wellbeing, access to employment and training and so much more.  
 
“As well as building the quality affordable homes Scotland desperately needs, to tackle the housing crisis we also must ensure those at the centre of it have the additional support they need and that’s a big part of what we do at PfPS. We look beyond the homes we manage and put people at the centre of what we do.  
 
“The feeling I got representing my country is something I never thought I’d replicate, but working to tackle the housing crisis gives me the same drive and determination as I had then. As well as working hard to provide the right homes, in the right places, I will be a strong voice to fight for social housing Customers across Scotland.”  
 
Greg Reed, Group Chief Executive Officer at PfP, said: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to Katie for the great job she has done over the last two years in our Communities across Scotland. 
 
“I’m delighted to be welcoming Kelly into this really important role, focussing on ensuring our Customers in Scotland have the home they deserve. Kelly embodies our ethos of doing the right thing always and his passion and drive to make a difference across our Communities make him a huge asset and the perfect fit to lead our work in Scotland.”