The principal mechanism for funding affordable housing is the Communities Scotland Development Programme. It provides new and improved housing to replace or improve poor quality housing and seeks to help people on low incomes to rent social housing or buy a home inareas where demand exceeds supply or where market prices are beyond the reach of their incomes.This new housing is availableto meet the most pressing housing need, including that of public sector workersand programmes are developed in close consultation with partners, based upon local housing market and needs analysis.