ABERDEEN City Council has refreshed its support for Shelter Scotland’s campaign to have a right to a decent home enshrined in Scottish law.
The campaign was launched in 2019, after research conducted by YouGov on behalf of Shelter Scotland found that 88% of people surveyed agreed that everyone in Scotland should have legal right to a safe, secure and affordable home – with 76% supporting a new law being created in Scotland for adequate housing in the country.
The local authority unanimously agreed to sign up to the campaign at a meeting in 2020. The council is currently building 2,000 new homes across the city and it operates a homeless service.
Aberdeen City Council housing spokesperson councillor, Sandra Macdonald, said, “We believe everyone should have the right to a decent, affordable home and that’s why we have signed to show support for Shelter Scotland’s ‘Are You With Us’ campaign.
“Aberdeen City Council has a strong relationship with Shelter Scotland, and we are glad to be able to reaffirm our support for this campaign at a critical time of year. We are acutely aware of the need to provide a warm home and support for those who, for whatever reason, find themselves homeless.
“Despite the ongoing restrictions in place due to Covid-19, it is important that anyone who requires homeless assistance gets in touch with our services, which will remain open throughout the festive period.”
Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland, added, “Too many people in Scotland don’t have access to the basic right of a decent and affordable home – which is simply wrong in the 21st century in one of the world’s wealthiest countries.
“Through this campaign we want the people of Scotland to know that a good home is their right – not a privilege – and it should be law.”
