Campaigning for change
Shelter
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Shelter isn’t a charity that pulls its punches. It says it how it is, to whoever needs to hear it. Blunt, unapologetic, demanding. Because the housing crisis is too big an issue to skirt around.
Here’s an example of some copy I wrote for their strategic report. But instead of being a stuffy, jargonny, snooze-fest of a document, we set out to make it a rallying cry to supporters.
Introduction
Let’s be frank – times are bad.
Beyond bad.
The housing crisis is a national emergency.
This document may be called a strategy report. But it’s more than that. It’s a blueprint for the future. It’s a plan for large scale, systematic change over the next ten years, which, if successful, will finally turn the tide on the housing crisis.
The measures outlined in this report aren’t things we’d like to achieve. They’re things we have to achieve. No ifs, no buts. Failure to do so will be failure of the people we’re here to help – a number that’s rising year on year.
Of course, none of this is to say we haven’t achieved a lot already. Our campaigns have helped millions of people. The banning of upfront letting fees, the protection of deposits, the requirement for electrical checks in rented homes. The list of successes goes on.
But so far, we’ve only been able to plug leaks in a dam that’s threatening to burst.
We’re now at a critical point. Fix the housing crisis, or face a future where only the wealthiest own homes and the majority scrape by. Make no mistake. This is the eleventh hour. But nothing’s decided yet. The future is what we make it.
We’ve got to think big. We’ve got to fight hard. We’ve got to believe in our potential and bring millions of people along with us. And most importantly, we’ve got to fix the housing crisis before it’s too late.
Join us.
Protecting renters
What’s the problem?
The biggest cause of homelessness is eviction from a rented property.
It’s too easy for renters to get kicked out at short notice. And with rocketing rents, it’s a struggle for many of us to pay the bills, let alone put aside any money.
There’s also the appalling condition of many rented properties – often damp, rundown and downright dangerous. No one should profit from this.
It used to be a given that you’d one day retire, maybe having bought your own place. But these are becoming dreams, getting further and further out of reach.
Why is it happening?
The number of private renters has doubled since 2001, while rents have risen nearly twice as fast as wages in recent years.
England wasn’t prepared for this explosion in renting. The legislation still isn’t in place to give renters the rights and protections they deserve.
Many renters live from one paycheck to the next. But as soon as something goes wrong – a lost job, a serious injury, a relationship break up – it can be impossible to keep afloat.
How will we fix it?
Renters are angry. Our job is to make sure Westminster listens. To stand up for renters and to give them a voice in the corridors of power.
We’ve won a lot in recent years – but there’s work to do. We’ll campaign to abolish ‘no fault’ evictions and to introduce indefinite tenancies, as well as to improve rented conditions.
We’ll also lead a major – much needed – push for a new generation of social housing, giving renters an escape from the cost and chaos of life as a private renter.