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Prevent homelessness in Scotland

Join us to stop more people becoming homeless in Scotland.

Join as a Crisis campaigner

Scotland has some of the strongest protections in the world for people experiencing homelessness. But while we made huge progress on reducing levels of homelessness in the past, the cost of living crisis is pushing more and more people closer to homelessness.

All too often, people at risk of homelessness in Scotland are unable to get help until it is too late, while emergency measures such as temporary accommodation have often become the default response to someone encountering problems with their housing. That’s why we are campaigning for new measures to prevent homelessness – to stop more people from experiencing the trauma and indignity of homelessness.

Find out more about our campaign.

Why preventing homelessness is so important

More and more people in Scotland are being forced from their homes. In fact, homelessness in Scotland is now at record levels, with 10% more households facing homelessness than last year alone. We have to act now to prevent more people facing homelessness.

1 in 12

people in Scotland have experienced homelessness. That's 8% of the population.

30,724

households are experiencing homelessness. That's the most since records began.

10,000 children

in Scotland are currently stuck in temporary accommodation.     

How homelessness can be prevented

It doesn't have to be this way.

The best way to end homelessness is to prevent it from happening in the first place. That’s why we are campaigning for changes to the law – so that people can get help up to six months before they are at risk of homelessness, and by widening responsibility for preventing homelessness across public services.

By allowing public services in health, justice and beyond to play a role in preventing homelessness, we can stop people being forced to spend long periods of time in the homelessness system.

3 ways to prevent homelessness

Change the law so people in housing crisis can get help up to six months before they are at risk of homelessness, rather than the current 56 days.

Introduce new duties in public services in health, justice and beyond to ask people at risk of homelessness about their housing, and act to offer support if required

Make sure local authorities and other relevant public services have the resources and support they need to move people into secure homes.

Preventing homelessness in Scotland:

The story so far… 

2016

Crisis calls for a new strategy for tackling homelessness during the 2016 Scottish Parliamentary election, with a stronger focus on prevention and early intervention.  

2017

Crisis is asked to chair the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group by then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Made up of experts from local and national government, the third sector and homelessness services, the group examines how to end rough sleeping and reduce the number of people trapped in temporary accommodation. It publishes its final report in 2018. 

2018

The Scottish Government publishes its Plan to End Homelessness. Based on the recommendations of the Action Group, the plan includes a commitment to new laws to prevent homelessness 

2019

Crisis organises the expert Homelessness Prevention Review Group to work out how to develop new laws to prevent homelessness. Chaired by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick, a leading international expert on homelessness, and made up of representatives from local government, the third sector and beyond, the group published its report on how to prevent homelessness in 2021.  

It found that allowing people to get help earlier and widening responsibility for preventing homelessness across the public sector could help stop more people experiencing the trauma and indignity of homelessness.

The Scottish Government backed its recommendations. 

2021

Crisis successfully campaigns for every party in parliament to back its call to change the law to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place. The SNP, Scottish Labour, Scottish Greens and the Scottish Lib Dems all include the need for new homelessness prevention measures in their manifestos, while the Scottish Conservatives publicly back the plans too. 

Then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces her government’s plans in the Programme for Government, including a commitment to introduce new laws that would require public services to work together to prevent homelessness. This would mean that staff working in health, justice, education and beyond would be required to ask people about their housing situation and act to provide support if required (‘ask’ and ‘act’ duties).  

2022

The Scottish Government launches a consultation to invite feedback on their proposals. This included public services such as the police, prisons and the NHS, as well as other homelessness organisations. The consultation found widespread support for the proposals which were described as comprehensive, transformational and welcome. However, respondents stressed that they would need to be funded properly to be effective.  

2023

Crisis and Cyrenians publish the Homelessness Prevention Task and Finish Group report, setting out what needs to be done to prepare for the introduction of the new homelessness prevention duties. 

2024

March

The Scottish Government launches the Housing Bill during a visit to Crisis Skylight Edinburgh. Two ministers met with one of our members to hear how her homelessness could have been prevented if the new laws had been in place when she needed them.  

November

The Bill passes the first of three stages in its journey towards becoming law, with MSPs from across the chamber voicing strong support for the plans.  

Scotland Prevention Review Group

The Scotland Homelessness Prevention Review Group was tasked to identify legal duties needed for local authorities and other public bodies to prevent homelessness in Scotland. It was set up by Crisis at the request of the Scottish Government and was chaired by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick of Heriot-Watt University.

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