Since the film

The immediate effect of the programme was to get Sarah, who was featured in the film, off her "Young Offenders Course" (the only course that her LEA had offered her, even though she had never been in trouble with the law) and onto a proper college course.

The more profound impact however was on Shelter's strategy, and central government housing policy.

We made the film because we believed that the children of homeless families were being forgotten, as all the focus of government agencies and the NGOs was on the homeless adults, with the children just seen as the plus ones, or plus twos. On seeing the film Adam Sampson, Chief Executive of Shelter, later reported that it had reminded him why he worked in the Third Sector, and reinvigorated his desire to bring about change.

One of the first things he did in response was to instigate the Keys to the Future project at Shelter - http://keystothefuture.org.uk/ - this project was created specifically in response to the film, and aimed to address the shortfall we had identified in provision for these children. In Adam Sampson's words, the children of homeless families had "no fixed advocate", Keys to the Future was aimed to change that.

Keys to the Future has now reached more than 3,700 children, young people and their families since the start of the project in 2007. In the last year, it has:

* launched the first four practical projects: educational support in Newham, London; emotional and social support in Bristol; peer education in Gloucestershire; educational support in Scotland.

* launched the Shelter Children's Legal Service, providing vital free legal advice to homeless children and their families.

* started campaigning for better policies in London, the South East and South West of England.

* been recognised by the Government as an example of good practice for the project in Bristol and proposed project in Knowsley, Merseyside.

In June 2007 I was asked to speak at a fundraising screening of Evicted for Shelter. I spoke at a similar event in June of this year. At the screening this June one fundraiser I spoke to told me that several of the funders invited to the '07 screening had never donated to Shelter, and were not quite sure why they had been invited. After the screening they all said to him "Call me tomorrow". The next day several hundred thousand pounds were raised.

However, according to Adam Sampson, Key to the Future is not the only legacy of Evicted. He tells me that the charity used the film shamelessly in lobbying Gordon Brown to review social house building policy in the run up to his assuming the premiership last year. Adam feels that the film played a significant role in persuading Brown to announce the largest programme of social house building for three generations.

On a more parochial note, during the production of Debt, we have repeatedly come across families who are now facing eviction, but who saw Evicted and draw strength from it -"At least I'm not the only one" as one young Mum told us.