Join us to stop more people becoming homeless in Scotland.
Join the campaign: end homelessness in Scotland by 2040Scotland 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.
Scotland can end all forms of homelessness by 2040 – we just need a bold commitment and the political will to act.
By doing this, we can create a country where everyone has a safe and stable home. A society that’s thriving because we can all take better care of our health, relationships and work. We can end homelessness for good.
Scotland already has a plan to deliver enough housing for everyone by 2040, but that alone will not be enough to end homelessness. We need to combine plans to build enough houses with changes to public services, so that people at risk of homelessness get the help they need, when they need it.
Homelessness can be ended in Scotland by 2040 by:
The best way to end homelessness, is to stop it happening in the first place.
We can prevent homelessness if we can create stability in the housing system. We can do this by addressing the things that cause people difficulties with where they are living.
That could include:
We’ve put together a list of projects in Scotland and beyond that aim to prevent homelessness. Find out more and get inspired by our Homelessness Prevention Guide.
After years of hard work by Crisis, the Scottish Parliament voted for new laws to prevent people being made homeless.
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 could help us build one of the most progressive homelessness systems in the world.
Under that law, people will be able to get help up to six months before they are at risk of homelessness, and public services will play a key role in preventing homelessness.
Changing the law to help people keep their homes is an amazing step forward. But making sure that law works in practice and has a real impact is key.
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.
April
MSPs discuss the bill in detail. Crisis works with government and opposition to secure significant improvements to the homelessness prevention parts, to give greater clarity on what's required of public services to help stop people being made homeless, while also providing those at risk of homelessness the right to review the decisions made on an offer of support.
September
MSPs finish examining the Bill and hold the Stage Three vote. The Housing Bill passes comfortably, meaning that new laws to prevent people’s homelessness will be created! This is a huge win for Crisis, its supporters, and the wider homelessness sector. The new homelessness prevention laws must come into effect within three years, after which Scotland will have one of the most progressive homelessness systems in the world.
November
15 homelessness prevention pilots are approved across Scotland- including one led by City of Edinburgh Council involving Crisis that looks to deliver a system wide approach to prevention. This is a first step towards implementing Scotland's new laws to prevent homelessness - creating one of the most progressive homelessness systems in the world.
January
15 prevention pilots begin across Scotland.
September
Scottish Government commits to ending homelessness for everyone and to transition from crisis management to prevention in the Programme for Government. This is the statement of intent we've been campaigning for!
However, this announcement lacked much-needed detail on how the homelessness prevention duties, due to commence in less than two-years, will actually be delivered.
We urge government to make this a priority and frontload the newly announced prevention budget to deliver on this much needed transformation.
This year, 15 homelessness prevention pilots are taking place across Scotland. These will tell us how the new laws can work effectively and have the greatest impact.
Read more about the prevention pilots
Having a strong, clear plan to implement homelessness prevention is vital. The law is there – we need to get on with implementing it.
We are working hard behind-the-scenes to make sure that the Scottish Government prioritises prevention as one of the most effective ways of ending homelessness for good.
