A new study has given a unique insight into how a community can driving housing improvements in their area.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission published its Housing Rights in Practice: Lessons Learned from Leith report today (Wednesday May 20).

From 2015 – 2019, the commission worked with a group of people who were living in poor housing conditions in the area of Edinburgh.

Using a model first developed in Belfast by the Participation and the Practice of Rights project, the commission aimed to support people to secure improvements to their housing through using human rights. This pilot project, called Housing Rights in Practice, ran for four years and led to £2.3 million of investment in the affected housing blocks.

Problems identified by the residents included poor drainage and plumbing, broken lifts, damp and inadequate or defective heating. The project saw the residents work with the local authority and other housing bodies to secure the improvements they felt were needed.

A final report about the project has now been produced, detailing the progress made.

A spokesperson for the commission said: “This report captures the steps taken throughout the project, evaluates the impact achieved and shares the lessons learned along the way. The commission hopes this learning will be useful for other people and communities looking to use human rights to achieve change, human rights defenders and organisations, and those with duties to respect, protect and fulfil people’s rights.”