As the year draws to a close, we want to take a moment to celebrate the huge impact that our campaigners have had in the fight for home in 2023.
They make up a movement of tens of thousands, working together to end Scotland’s housing emergency, and create a future where a safe, permanent home is available for everyone. Want to join them? Sign up to become a campaigner.
As we approach the end of the year and reflect on our campaigns, we’re reminded why our fight for home is so important. Here are some of the ways our campaigners have made an impact:
- Edinburgh and Glasgow both declared a housing emergency after local councillors received hundreds of emails from our supporters demanding immediate action.
Campaigners in Edinburgh and Glasgow sent hundreds of emails to their local councillors, demanding they grab the opportunity to declare a housing emergency. The declarations were made, acknowledging the extent of housing injustice faced by those in each city and that urgent action must be taken. Huge progress in our campaign for housing justice!
- Thousands piled on the pressure to the First Minister and emailed MSPs ahead of a parliamentary debate on housing, demanding that the Scottish Government declares a housing emergency.
Over nine thousand people signed our open letter to the First Minister, bringing the housing emergency to his attention and stressing how crucial it is for him to take immediate action to fix it. And those who emailed MSPs urging them to vote in favour of declaring a housing emergency had a huge influence – so much so, campaigners’ emails were directly mentioned in parliament! Unfortunately, the declaration was not made at Scottish Government level. Read our blog about the Scottish Parliament’s response.
- Supporters signed petitions over 16,000 times, showing their demands for systemic change.
Our collective voice was loud this year, with thousands signing petitions to demand immediate action against the housing emergency.
- So many campaigners shared their personal experiences with us, helping to fuel our campaign for a fairer housing system and show the wide-reaching impact of the housing emergency across the country.
We heard from so many people who have direct experience of the housing emergency, sharing stories to help fuel our fight and demonstrate the human impact of decades of inaction from the government. You can read through these stories on our Housing Horror Stories website.
- And thanks to our supporters sharing our online housing advice with friends and family, thousands have accessed crucial support in difficult times.
By doing so, our online housing advice has been used by thousands of people all over Scotland, providing 24/7 support to those in housing need.
As the weather gets colder, we’re reminded even more about the importance of having a warm, safe place to call home.
Join the fight for home in 2024, and together we’ll push hard to tackle the housing emergency. We will always take a stand when those in power don’t step up, and with you by our side, we’ll keep fighting until we win.
Without the generous donations of our supporters, we couldn’t continue to campaign for housing justice in Scotland. If you’re able to make a donation today, you could help fund the vital work that we do to bring an end to the housing emergency and ensure everyone has a safe, secure place to call home.