alastair_ball
About
Alastair is a search engine marketer at Shelter. He works on SEO and blog content
Passenger donates all profits from his new album to Shelter
Passenger donates all profits from his new album to Shelter
by

There are many people who support Shelter in different ways – and among those is multi-award winning and platinum selling singer-songwriter Passenger. In an amazing gesture, 100% of the profits from his new album, Sometimes It’s Something, Sometimes It’s Nothing At All, will be donated to Shelter. At Passenger’s request, the proceeds will be used to help fund our vital Family Support Services.

On the day of release, Passenger – aka Mike Rosenberg – dropped by our flagship charity boutique … Read more

Shelter Thames Valley: spotlight on our new Hub
Shelter Thames Valley: spotlight on our new Hub
by

Shelter’s Thames Valley office launched as our newest hub on 1 April, and we marked the occasion with a launch party and open day. ‘We threw it open to our service users, who came along and were absolutely fantastic, and to other partner agencies,’ service manager Jackqueline Hauxwell said. ‘We ensured that people could meet and mingle with the team.’

The Thames Valley Hub is located in the Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) Building at 27 Church Street, Slough. This … Read more

Run, bake or DJ – there are so many ways to raise money for Shelter
Run, bake or DJ – there are so many ways to raise money for Shelter
by

From bake sales to breakdancing, cycling to scaling skyscrapers, there are so many unique ways to fundraise for Shelter. Take DJs Doug, Tom, Charlotte and Jamie, who decided the best way to support us was to put on a night of awesome retro tunes.

The group of friends came up with club night Maneater – 00s Trash Club, a celebration of the turn of the millennium featuring classics like Overload by the Sugababes, the freakily-good Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz, … Read more

Our lack of social housing is failing those in desperate need
Our lack of social housing is failing those in desperate need
by

At Shelter, we see many people who’ve had bad experiences renting privately, but Tom’s experiences are exceptionally bad. First, his landlord blocked off access to the boiler and left the thermostat set so low that the heating wouldn’t come on unless it was freezing cold. Then he started coming to the property on a daily basis, going into his tenants’ rooms without their permission.

Things got worse when there was a gas leak in the property. When Tom informed his … Read more

Rosie shows why every homeless family is a tragedy
Rosie shows why every homeless family is a tragedy
by

Homelessness is all around us. But while we can see people sleeping in shop doorways or under awnings, that’s just the tip of a much larger iceberg.

There are currently 61,480 homeless families in England who are not on the streets but are instead living in temporary accommodation, without the safety and stability of a home.

This kind of homelessness often feels like an abstract concept. We know these people exist from the official figures, but their lives are hard … Read more

'It's not fair to expect people and their children to hop about from home to home'
'It's not fair to expect people and their children to hop about from home to home'
by

Moving to a new house is one of the most stressful things a family can do. For Lucie, who has had to move seven times in the last 11 years, the upheaval has been a regular feature of family life.

The cost of all this moving has been high, both financially and in terms of disruption for her and her children. ‘It’s been up and down for years. I think I’ve had seven properties, and out of those landlords, four … Read more