Scotland has some of the most progressive homelessness rights in the world. But often people still find it hard to get the help they need to prevent or end their homelessness. We have developed a comprehensive plan, Everybody In, which sets out what is needed to end homelessness in Scotland and across Great Britain.
Crisis works with the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament, local authorities and other organisations across Scotland to make sure that homelessness is high on the political agenda and to offer strategic and practical solutions to tackling homelessness. We also work with the UK Government in Westminster on social security and other reserved issues that affect people facing homelessness in Scotland.
Our Chief Executive, Jon Sparkes, chaired the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group, set up by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to make recommendations to end homelessness in Scotland. As a result in November 2018 the Scottish Government and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities published the Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan, the first of its kind in Great Britain.
Underlying the Group’s recommendations, followed up with concrete actions in Ending Homelessness Together, is a shift towards rapid rehousing by default in Scotland. Rapid rehousing is a housing-led approach, also recommended in our Plan, which means that people who find themselves homeless are supported into mainstream, settled housing as soon as possible, and services work together to ensure stays in temporary accommodation are short and supportive.
Following the final recommendations of the Action Group in June 2018, every Scottish local authority was expected to produce a Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP) setting out how they intended to move from their current homelessness system to one with rapid rehousing at its centre. Read our national overview of RRTPs, with examples of good practice, here.
In November 2019 we were asked by Scottish Government to convene a working group to make recommendations for duties on local authorities and other public bodies to prevent homelessness. This is chaired by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick and reports in summer 2020.
Our Scotland Homelessness Monitor provides more detail about homelessness in Scotland.
To read our detailed Scottish policy responses, use the Scotland filter in our briefings and responses section.