Join us to stop more people becoming homeless in Scotland.
Join as a Crisis campaignerScotland 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.
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.
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.
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.
Crisis calls for a new strategy for tackling homelessness during the 2016 Scottish Parliamentary election, with a stronger focus on prevention and early intervention.
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.
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
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
We know there are already projects across Scotland doing amazing work to prevent homelessness – by learning from their work and creating a coherent system of prevention, we can stop more people from losing their homes. Use the map and filters below to browse projects. Scroll down to the list to find out more about each one.
Preventative use of Housing First support - Find out more
Targeted upstream support for families in PRS - Find out more
Youth housing options - Find out more
Digital support for at risk LGBTQ+ young people - Find out more
Multi-agency (entry/exit) prisons protocol - Find out more
Flexible decor & move-in fund - Find out more
Connecting people with support further …upstream - Find out more
Preventing avoidable homelessness for people in prison - Find out more
Volunteer community befriending - Find out more
Fresh Start re-let standard - Find out more
Dedicated PRS prevention team - Find out more
Multi-disciplinary team approach to engaging tenants at risk of eviction - Find out more
An earlier & enhanced Section 11 process - Find out more
Embedded advice & support for parents in schools - Find out more
Embedded housing workers in children's social work teams - Find out more
Embedded housing workers in hospitals - Find out more
Using data analytics to target discretionary funds - Find out more
Co-located housing workers in Jobcentres - Find out more
Mediation & family support - Find out more
Landlord-facing pre-notice support service - Find out more
In-court advice for repossession cases - Find out more
Local Area Coordination: place-based support - Find out more
A public health approach to low level offending - Find out more
Engaging with Gypsy / Travellers & roadside encampments - Find out more
Neighbourhood coaches - not housing officers - Find out more
Affordable homes for young people on lower incomes - Find out more
Referral-led PRS prevention team - Find out more
Partnership approach to designing out homelessness for refugees - Find out more
Embedded welfare advice in GP surgeries - Find out more
Health visitors & housing link worker - Find out more
Engaging those disengaged from services - Find out more
Private landlord-tenant mediation - Find out more
Shared social housing for young people - Find out more
Long-term, place-based community-led work in Leith - Find out more
Reducing repeat homelessness for women in the criminal justice system - Find out more
Landlord Support Team - Find out more
Multi-tenure health & housing hub - Find out more
Universal schools-based early intervention - Find out more
GP training & referral pathway for women experiencing DVA - Find out more
Specialist domestic abuse service, co-located in housing options team - Find out more
Community Solutions approach to early intervention - Find out more
Co-ordinated approach to engaging people with hoarding tendencies - Find out more
Using predictive analytics to target earlier help - Find out more
Navigators in the Emergency Department - Find out more
Settled homes for care leavers with peer support - Find out more
Co-located Occupational Therapist in housing team - Find out more
Flexible furnished tenancy rental - Find out more
Maximising the potential of the Scottish Welfare Fund - Find out more
Partnership approach to housing people with no recourse to public funds - Find out more
Facilitated access to private renting as a preventative approach - Find out more
Holistic support for families engaged in antisocial behaviour - Find out more
Early intervention approach minimising arrears, evictions & abandonments - Find out more
Preventative Housing First for care experienced young people - Find out more
Community hosting for young people in crisis - Find out more
Preventing repeat homelessness: a housing-led alternative to Housing First - Find out more
Pan-London social housing reciprocal for victims of violence/abuse - Find out more
Safer housing options for women experiencing domestic abuse - Find out more
First tenancy support for at risk young people - Find out more
Preventative social housing allocation - Find out more
Shared living: flat-shares with support - Find out more
Intensive support for families engaged in antisocial behaviour - Find out more
Psychologically informed rent collection, reducing evictions - Find out more
Help Hubs & community connectors - Find out more
Person-centred housing management, minimising evictions & abandonments - Find out more
Sanctuary Scheme for survivors of domestic abuse - Find out more
Faith-based, community led recovery support - Find out more
In-house welfare & housing advice in local foodbank - Find out more
Integrated youth hub for 16-21s - Find out more
Independent Tenancy Relations service - Find out more
Early intervention mediation - Find out more
Immersive financial literacy programme - Find out more
Advice & support service for both tenants & landlords - Find out more
Assertive support for people in any out of hours crisis - Find out more
Mental health navigators - Find out more
Holistic domestic abuse approach, covering victims & perpetrators - Find out more