‘Thousands’ Of Families Evicted Each Year

Research by Shelter Scotland has found that more than 6,000 families are being evicted from their home each year. The study showed that 1,625 households were evicted by local authority and registered social landlords in 2004-05 and that 4,441 households were made homeless by the loss of their private sector tenancy in that period. Shelter has called on people in Scotland to back its Home Is… campaign to ensure everyone is housed by 2012. The campaign aims to collect at least 5,000 quotes on what home means to the people of Scotland, to highlight its importance to politicians.

Archie Stoddart, the charity’s director, said: “Each year thousands of families are evicted, often through no fault of their own.

“As Scotland moves towards the homelessness target of 2012, and giving everyone the right to a home, we need to make sure people are protected from unnecessary or avoidable evictions.”

The Scottish Executive has pledged to end homelessness by 2012.

The guarantee came as part of the Homelessness (Scotland) Act 2003, which abolished the “priority need” test and gave everyone an equal right to a house.