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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

Shelter Scotland’s 50th is no cause to celebrate

This news post is over 6 years old
 

Fifty years on, Shelter Scotland says the issues still remain

A year-long series of events to mark Shelter Scotland’s 50th anniversary has been launched by the housing charity.

Although Scotland has made leaps forward in homelessness legislation and better-quality housing in since the charity formed in 1968, many of the factors that led to its formation still exist today, the charity said.

Director Graeme Brown said: “From our early days when we woke the nation and its politicians up to the shocking levels of poverty and deprivation people were enduring – all too vividly depicted through their appalling housing conditions – we hoped that a sense of national shame and the willingness to bring about lasting change would mean a quick end to bad housing and homelessness.

“We hoped that by now, there would be a decent home for everyone in Scotland.”

While good progress has been made, Brown says bad housing and homelessness still blights the lives of many thousands of people in Scotland – robbing them of their health, security and a fair chance in life.

“That’s why we are not celebrating our 50th – we shouldn’t really exist and there’s still so much more needs doing,” he said.

Brown added that through a year-long series of events and activities, under the banner We’re Still Fighting, the charity aims to re-engage people across Scotland with its core messages.