Last week I spent three days up in the Orkney Islands, training the newest member of the Scottish Empty Homes Network, Rachael Bowes. Her post is part funded by the Scottish Government, Orkney Islands Council and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.
Smaller households, fewer houses built, and more people: how statistics help us understand Scotland’s housing crisis
Statistics can help us better understand the social problems that we face. When we look at housing in Scotland, we tend to focus on the figures that show evidence of a housing crisis, such as that 940,000 households live in relative poverty after housing costs, and that 142,500 applicants are waiting for council housing. Or, […]
Being evicted? Know your rights!
People move in and out of properties every day. More often than not, the beginning and ending of tenancies go without any major problems – and words like ‘eviction’ never come into play. But it can happen, and it is a daunting prospect if you’re ever faced with it.
His name was Peter
It has recently been suggested that we stop saying “homelessness can happen to anyone” because it somehow obscures the real risk factors and prevents those in power from tackling big structural issues. Shelter Scotland Media Officer Susie Rose reflects on when homelessness happened to her. These views are hers and hers alone. I’m 41 and […]
Energy efficiency in privately rented homes: you talked, we listened
In June 2017 we gathered the views of over 200 private tenants on the Scottish Government’s proposal to introduce a minimum energy efficiency standard for private rented homes, after a plea from us for the help of private tenants! To the private tenants we spoke to, this is a big thank you!