Scottish Housing Day success
On Wednesday 18 September, everyone working in housing came together to celebrate the positive impact that good quality housing makes to the lives of people and communities and to highlight the housing options that are available.
This year, for the fourth annual Scottish Housing Day, the housing sector recognised and celebrated the role of housing as a human right.
As a member of the Scottish Housing Day working group, CLA director, Mike Campbell participated in and represented the wider SAL family at meetings with the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers, Chartered Institute of Housing, Homes for Scotland, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Scottish Government, Shelter Scotland, Tenants Participation Service Scotland and the Wheatley Group.
He writes, the group’s purpose this year was to affirm the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25, which states that: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of their family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond their control.”
In Scotland, the demand for housing of all tenures outstrips supply.
Housing has a central role to play in addressing the challenges facing Scotland today, be it improving health and education outcomes, tackling climate change and poverty or supporting economic growth.
The experience of those sleeping rough on the streets or sofa surfing, young children living in temporary or overcrowded accommodation, and families falling into poverty to cover housing costs, highlights the need for housing to be truly recognised among the most basic of human rights itself. Human rights law recognises everyone’s right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate housing, and the private rented sector must play its part in supporting the Scottish Government in taking active steps to improve housing rights in Scotland.
