I commend the children and young people for their bravery in speaking out on an issue which is often wrongly shrouded in stigma and shame.
Chair, UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Children have a right to grow up in a warm house where they feel safe, somewhere with enough room to play, study and spend time with family. The Change It! campaign wants to make sure all children have a place to live where they can grow up safe and healthy, in a real home.
The Change It! campaign is led by children and young people who are passionate about making life better for all children and young people. The Change It! team is made up of 26 members, aged eight to 20 years old who come from all over England. They want to make a change and believe children and young people need to be listened to.
Many of them have lived in temporary housing like Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs), sometimes for months on end. Living in dirty, over crowded places with no space to play or do homework affects children’s lives – you might be bullied at school, experience mental health problems or physical illness. Listen to 16-year-old Daisy's story - she was unlawfully housed in a B&B for 19 weeks, during which she was subjected to sexual harassment and exploitation, and exposed to drug and alcohol abuse.
Together they produced a report with first-hand testimonies and a video about the reality for children living in unsafe temporary accomodation, as well as meeting with policymakers such as housing minister Heather Wheeler MP.
Our Change It! campaign was funded by Comic Relief, who produced this video of Cameron - a young Change It! campaigner. In the video, Cameron shares his experiences of living in unregulated accommodation, and the ways Just for Kids Law has helped him.
The Change it! campaign is overseen by the Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), which is part of Just for Kids Law.
