We have everything left to fight for...

Last year Shelter campaigned heavily for more money for housing. In September you helped us collect 30,000 postcards from the public to deliver to Finance Minister John Swinney asking him to commit enough money to build 30,000 new affordable homes for rent.

We were severely disappointed in November when the housing budget for the next year was cut, but the government's commitment to ending homelessness in Scotland by 2012 still stands and that's what we'll be fighting for. To make sure this target is reached, we need more homes, better homes, and ways of preventing people becoming homeless.

More homes

To have more homes available we need the government to build more affordable homes for rent and to make sure that blockages in the planning system do not put a stop to new developments. We need to put empty houses back into use and make them fit for people to live in, and we need to overhaul the Right to Buy to make sure that much needed social housing is not sold off and not replaced.

Better homes

It is vital that existing housing meets the needs of people who live in it, especially when those people are families with children, or people with disabilities. We need to work with developers, planners and housing authorities to make certain this is the case.

Preventing homelessness

We want to ensure that people do not become homeless; to do this we have to ensure the continuation of funding for services that help vulnerable people keep their homes and those that resettle people into new homes. We are also campaigning for more housing options to be available for homeless households. These would include homes available from the local council, housing association and private landlords and letting agents.

The 2012 target is ambitious, but it's not impossible and we'll be fighting hard to make sure it is achieved. We need your help getting politicians to take notice of our concerns and we'll be in touch soon asking you to join our campaigns. Sign up to be a campaign supporter here.