19 charities call for ‘triple-lock’ to end rough sleeping after COVID-19

Nineteen influential charity sector organisations working to end homelessness presented a joint plan to the Scottish Government based around three key asks that experts and academics believe could permanently end rough sleeping and destitution in Scotland as the country emerges from the pandemic.

The Collective, named Everyone Home, includes many household names and respected organisations working to end homelessness in all parts of the country. Together, they have agreed a ‘triple-lock’ of measures to protect the progress that has been made and underpin next steps.

Patrick McKay, Chair of Homeless Network Scotland and Operations Director, Turning Point Scotland said: “The majority of people and organisations in Scotland that care about homelessness agree that the Scottish Government’s Ending Homelessness Together Plan is the right approach, and we were making progress. However, the onset of this pandemic demanded a rapid response to keep people safe. Since March we have managed to accommodate and support all those who wanted to be indoors, including people with no recourse to public funds such as people seeking asylum in Scotland. Throughout, local and national government, charities, health and housing associations have worked together.

“It is now imperative to secure that progress. The pandemic will have a disproportionate impact on people who experience all types of disadvantage, potentially driving up homelessness. By implementing the measures outlined in this plan, Scotland has a unique window to end rough sleeping and mitigate the impact of all forms of homelessness.”

To help set out a way forward in local and national efforts to tackle homelessness now and in the future the 19 organisations involved in the Collective have agreed priorities and set out a range of approaches summarised as:

 prioritise prevention, create as much housing capacity as we can now and make a long-term commitment to increase the supply of homes for social rent
 permanently prevent a return to previous levels of rough sleeping in all areas
 no evictions into homelessness, the end of avoidable evictions and the threat of illegal evictions.

The Collective will also present a framework for offering support and guidance to local authorities, private landlords, tenants, housing associations as well as a framework to support rapid scaling of Housing First across all areas in Scotland. This will provide learning, guidance and tools for quality assurance, support and cost implications. The 19 organisations that are members of the Collective will continue to develop and refine plans for ensuring an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions are lifted.

You can read our joint-plan and support our urgent efforts to get everyone home at www.everyonehome.scot

Join in on social media at #EveryoneHome