HOMELESS
AT HOME

in scotland

Influencing Change

Our 4 New Directions are adapted from the Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan. Their purpose is to create clear messages around what needs to happen to make the changes needed in homelessness policy and practice.

ACTION PLAN

People First

Taking a more person-centered approach to supporting the social, mental and physical wellbeing of individuals, giving them more choice and control.

Change means ensuring that support services are helping
people to:

  • Have choice and control
  • Contribute and do things they enjoy
  • Stay healthy, connected to others, and resilient
  • Move towards mainstream (non-homeless) services and settings
  • Directly address the material hardship that often underpins their situation

No Wrong Door

Stronger coordinated working between different services, with clearer pathways for those most at risk and no-one being turned away.

Change means ensuring that we:

  • Promote a new duty to prevent homelessness, and clearer pathways for those most at risk
  • Support joined up working and less silos in services that don’t put people first
  • Ensure less need for people to have to repeat their story
  • Identify, and keep an eye on, households at risk before they reach crisis point
  • Have in place universal legal rights in relation to local connection and intentionality
  • Support new standards and time spent in temporary accommodation, minimising the risk of evictions into homelessness
  • Have more partnerships to support people who are locked out of the homelessness system (e.g. have no recourse to public funds)

At Home

Everyone has a right to settled, good quality, mainstream housing as quickly as possible.

Change means ensuring that we:

  • Create a housing & homelessness system that delivers settled, good quality, mainstream housing as quickly as possible
  • Support a housing & homelessness system that minimises time spent in any form of temporary accommodation, with the fewer transitions the better
  • Create a housing & homelessness system that responds at the point of need with temporary accommodation that is mainstream, furnished, and in a local community
  • Support a housing & homelessness system that meets the need for temporary accommodation without accommodating people in dormitory-style night shelters

Good Vibes

Focusing on people’s strengths and abilities, creating positive environments in our services and helping others to understand and be compassionate about people going through tough times.

Change means ensuring it is understood that:

  • Homelessness is not caused by personal mistakes or habits
  • We could end homelessness by reducing poverty, increasing access to affordable housing, and ensuring a strong welfare safety net
  • The attitudes of the general public and support services can have a huge impact on people
  • Our interactions should be designed in a way that people can understand and take action. This is how we can share power and build a movement for change