How you made politicians declare a housing emergency –see page 4.
How your donations are spent
Last year, thousands of people turned to Shelter Scotland for advice. We couldn't do this without you. For every £1 you donate:
79% is spent directly on helping people through advice, support and campaigning.
21% is spent on fundraising, helping us raise more money to bring even more change.
Contact us
To get in touch, make a gift or for any questions about your donations or this edition of Home magazine please email info@shelter.org.uk or call 0300 330 1234 (Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, excluding bank holidays).
For online housing advice and access to our emergency helpline, visit: shelterscotland.org
The shocking truth about children and homelessness 4 6
Could you include Shelter Scotland in your Will?
Welcome to your 2024 October HOME newsletter.
As you read these stories from inside our fight for housing justice, I hope you know that this momentum is all powered by you.
This issue really showcases the huge variety of work you make possible – putting pressure on the Scottish Government to declare a housing emergency, making sure they commit to take real action for the 1.5 million people in Scotland without a secure place to call home.
Together we’re continuing to push for real change that fixes the broken and biased housing system. You can read more about our recent success and upcoming campaigning on pages 4-5.
We cannot say thank you enough, to you and all our supporters, for your time, effort and generosity.
Jessica Hosseiny Head of Supporter Retention
EMERGENCY
After 18 months of pressure from you, the Scottish Government has finally acknowledged there’s a housing emergency in Scotland. This is a huge step forward – and it started with you.
?
Right now,
1.5
million
people in Scotland don’t have a secure place to call home.
10,000 Shelter Scotland supporters like you signed our open letter telling the Scottish Government to declare a housing emergency. Now, finally, you’ve been heard. In May, an emergency was officially declared, with crossparty support. Politicians across the Scottish Parliament have shown they see what’s happening and are ready to act.
You made this happen by putting pressure on MSPs, spreading the word among your friends and family and refusing to stay silent. Your determination led 11 local authorities to declare housing emergencies. They included Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife – the three biggest local authorities in Scotland. And in September Aberdeen became the latest city to declare a housing emergency. You’re a force to be reckoned with.
This is just the beginning. A declaration without action is just words. But, with you by our side, we’ll hold the Scottish Government to account and work every day to end this emergency. We’re not stopping until everyone in Scotland has a safe, secure home.
BECAUSE OF YOU…
Our online and telephone advice helps people understand their rights and get support with housing problems while we fight for change. Thank you.
SO WHAT NOW?
It’s time for Scottish Ministers to put an emergency action plan in place to fix our broken and biased housing system.
That means…
•Urgently increasing the supply of new social homes
•Maximising the use of existing homes for people in need
•Fully funding local homelessness services
FREEDOM AT LAST
Innocent, who uses a wheelchair, spent years living in a totally inappropriate 11th-floor flat. Then, thanks to your support – the Shelter Scotland team helped him fight for a safe, suitable home.
“I feel trapped in this flat, to a point where it is not very far away from homelessness,” Innocent told us when we spoke in his cramped Glasgow apartment. “After all, what is the definition of homelessness? It’s the idea that you’re living in an environment that is unsuitable for one’s condition.”
The flat’s narrow corridors made navigating in a wheelchair almost impossible. Innocent had fallen from his chair several times, once breaking his leg. And if the lifts were out of service, he had no way of reaching his home.
“That’s me isolated. It means I’ve been locked out,” he said. “I cannot access my flat.”
He also questioned why he had not been able to make his housing concerns heard, despite years of trying. “Maybe English not being
my first language may have its own issues as well", Innocent said. “But I regard myself as someone who is fluent enough to make myself heard. I am a graduate of Glasgow University, so surely English has not been my problem in terms of communication. It appears that another higher voice needed to be heard for me to be listened to.”
When we heard Innocent’s story, we advocated with him to find a solution. We shouldn’t have had to get involved, but your support means we are listened to.
We put pressure on his landlord and pressed for Innocent to be given a home that doesn’t hold him back. Just recently, he moved into a new, ground floor home. That’s the lifechanging difference we make when we act together.
THANK YOU FOR FIGHTING SCOTLAND’S HOUSING EMERGENCY EVERY DAY.
Your support for Shelter Scotland makes one thing clear. You’re determined to fight for home. By leaving a gift to Shelter Scotland in your will, you can keep up that fight for years and generations to come.
At Shelter Scotland, we know the future we have to create. It’s a future where everyone has a safe, secure place to call home. Where renting is affordable for everyone. Where no one has to worry about becoming homeless.
By including Shelter Scotland in your Will, you’ll help us keep fighting until that future becomes a reality.
DISCOVER OUR WILL SERVICE
Our legal experts can help you write a simple Will for free. There’s no obligation to include Shelter Scotland in your Will, but any gift you give will change lives forever – because home is everything.
CHILDREN NEED HOMES AND
The number of children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland has more than doubled in less than a decade. With your support, we’re working every day to turn this situation around.
MAKE YOURSELF HEARD
Sign our official record of RAGE against Scotland’s housing emergency at shelterscotland.org/ragerecord
Buy your festive essentials from Shelter Scotland this winter so more people have a safe, stable place to call home.
PLANET-FRIENDLY WRAPPING PAPER
Cut the waste with our FSCcertified, recyclable wrap.
CHRISTMAS CRACKERS
From children's toys to armchairs, each gift eases the pain of the housing crisis.
Visit shop.shelter.org.uk or your nearest high street shop. SHELTER SCOTLAND CHARITY GIFTS
ï Add your own gift and reseal
A VERY, VERY, VERY BIG
Have you seen our new film – where people from across Shelter Scotland say thank you to all the hopers and dreamers (that’s you) who believe in a better housing system? If you haven’t, you need to watch it right now. And if you have, you need to watch it again, right now!
In the film, we show how you help us make headlines and make real political change happen. We show how you support people through our helpline and online advice service. Basically, it’s a film with you as the star.
So now you’ve reached the end of this issue of HOME, we’d love you to go online and watch it. You make everything we do possible, and we’ll never stop shouting about how grateful we are.
Watch us say an enormous thank you to you at scotland.shelter.org.uk/thankyouscot
