Cables Wynd House Residents Group (CWHRG) was formed in 2021 to talk about their housing and community needs. By coming together, they learned many residents were living with inadequate housing and decided to do something about it.

As well as holding community fun days and activities for young people, residents attended human rights training sessions where they learned how their landlord was responsible for fulfilling their human right to adequate housing. CWHRG’s report, “Our Housing Rights Project”, launched in January 2025, uncovered significant issues with dampness and mould, pests, anti-social behaviour, broken lifts, delayed repairs and poor communication.

According to the report:

• 53% of survey respondents said they had a problem with mould
• 63% of respondents reported a pest problem
• 40% said their home negatively impacted on their mental health.

Based on this evidence, the group set ambitious targets for improvements and is calling upon their landlord, the City of Edinburgh Council, to bring their homes up to an adequate standard and to listen to their views in the upcoming retrofit process. Residents are fully involved in the retrofit process, chair the quarterly Community Forum and hold regular meetings for residents.

This grant from the People’s Postcode Lottery has funded capacity building and wellbeing activities with residents, including a tenant participation workshop, rights-based activities with young people and has contributed to community family fun days. This funding is also supporting the community to start collecting data for their third human rights survey.

Sheri Ulich, a resident and active member of CWHRG, said: “We encourage all residents to complete this survey because your voices help make real change. Thanks to past surveys, we have already seen improvements, including new lifts and better communication with the council. Your feedback helps us fight for the human rights of everyone living in Cables Wynd House.

“After we collect all responses, we will write our next human rights report to show what still needs to be improved and to make sure the council listens to residents.

“Our work is rooted in defending and promoting the human rights of everyone who calls Cables Wynd House home. By sharing your views, you help ensure that issues such as safety, dignity with repairs, accessibility with working lifts, and equal treatment are taken seriously.”

Regular community meetings are held, and all residents are welcome:

• First Tuesday of every month, 18:30–19:30, at South Leith Parish Church Hall, 6 Henderson St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6BS.
• Third Friday of every month, 15:30–17:00, at Bethany Christian Trust, 65 Bonnington Rd, Edinburgh EH6 5JQ.

Councillor Katrina Faccenda said: “The achievements of the Cables Wynd House Residents Group have been inspiring and have shown that when the right kind of support is given to a community their collective voice will be heard, and constructive change can be achieved in the way the council and other decision makers work with residents. I am delighted to hear about this funding which will help them continue their work.”

Lorraine Barrie, development manager of Making Rights Real, added: “Cables Wynd House residents are raising their voices loud and clear to say they will not tolerate inadequate and unhealthy housing conditions. We would like to thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery. This funding has allowed us to organise events and activities that are fully accessible, which would not be possible without their generous support.”