This year’s homelessness conference was the biggest yet, with more than 250 people joining us on each day at Perth Concert Hall.
Highlights this year included the Cabinet Secretary announcing new homelessness funding, All in for Change sharing the results of their first peer research, unforgettable keynotes from Floella Benjamin (plus Humpty) and Eireann McAuley, a celebration of the frontline workforce, and the launch of the Housing Justice manifesto.
It was quite the conference – if you couldn’t make it, click below to read the report to catch-up on what happened, check out pics from both days, and discover the top takeaways from the event.
This month’s Network Briefing shares progress made in the last 12 months toward meeting the ambitions of the Ending Homelessness Together plan, the latest evaluation of Fair Way Scotland, a glossy, picture-packed report on this year’s annual homelessness conference, plus opportunities to engage with consultations and a Housing First webinar in January.
Scotland has made significant and internationally notable progress in reducing destitution among people who are blocked from accessing mainstream support because of their immigration status, a major new evaluation has found. But the study warns that provision remains too limited to meet the scale of need.
The independent report examines the impact of Fair Way Scotland, an action-learning partnership providing integrated support for people with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) or restricted or uncertain eligibility.
The model brings together specialist casework, modest financial assistance and access to community-based accommodation, helping people to meet basic needs and stabilise their circumstances. Funders, Scottish Government and charities are coming together today for a launch event to hear findings from the report and explore solutions that will reduce destitution.
The report found clear improvements in people’s safety and wellbeing when they receive consistent casework, access to community-based accommodation and modest financial support through Fair Way Scotland.
Authored by Heriot-Watt University and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), the report outlines how these types of support can reduce harm inflicted on people and build a foundation for longer term progress.
Professor Beth Watts-Cobbe, Deputy Director, at the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE), Heriot-Watt University, said: “This evaluation demonstrates that Scotland has taken significant and internationally notable steps to prevent destitution. But the scale of current provision does not yet match the scale of need.
“We found strong evidence that consistent casework, safe accommodation and small but reliable cash payments reduce harm and support people to progress their immigration cases. The question now is whether Scotland is prepared to expand what clearly works so that no one faces destitution.”
The report highlights the exceptional disadvantage facing people supported through Fair Way Scotland:
93% of those surveyed were destitute
Almost one in five were sleeping rough at the point of contact
More than half had slept rough in the past year
17% had left accommodation because they did not feel safe
Importantly, outcomes improved the longer people engaged with support. Those receiving help for more than three months were significantly less likely to be sleeping rough, living in overcrowded conditions, moving repeatedly, or going without essentials like food and toiletries.
Demand, however, far exceeds what current resources can meet. The evaluation estimates that around 4,000 people across Scotland require this type of support each year, with the country making great progress by meeting around a quarter of that demand thus far.
Chris Birt, Associate Director for Scotland at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “This evaluation shows in stark terms both the effectiveness of Fair Way Scotland and the scale of unmet need. The model works – but demand is far beyond what the current system can cope with. Scaling Fair Way Scotland is now urgent, not optional.
“We need coordinated action from all tiers of government. The UK Government, Scottish Government and local councils need to better use the powers they have, underpinned by a clear commitment from housing associations to provide the safe, stable accommodation that is essential to reducing harm. And ultimately the UK Government need to stop using policy to create destitution.
“If we are serious about preventing destitution, every part of the system must step up together.”
Frontline accounts within the report underline the difference stability can make. Workers describe how access to casework, legal advice and community-based accommodation enables people to progress their status and access support to which they are entitled.
The evaluation also reflects the voices of people directly supported by Fair Way Scotland. Many described how cash payments – usually of £60 a week – allowed them to buy food and travel, restoring dignity and reducing crisis.
The evaluation recognises that Scotland is the only part of the UK with a national strategy that explicitly commits to ending destitution for all, including those with No Recourse to Public Funds or restricted eligibility. Yet, progress remains slow, with local authorities and third sector organisations under increasing pressure.
Human rights lawyer Jen Ang, founder of Lawmanity, said: “Scotland already has more scope to act than many decision-makers realise. The evaluation shows that when existing powers are used confidently and consistently, people can be protected from the deepest harms associated with destitution.
“What stands out in this report is the strength of the evidence for scaling Fair Way Scotland. It offers a lawful, practical and humane approach that reflects Scotland’s commitments to dignity and fairness. The task now is ensuring that these findings translate into action so that support is available to everyone who needs it.”
Key recommendations within the report include:
Expanding community‑based accommodation
Widening access to specialist legal advice
Establishing a hardship fund for those excluded from mainstream support
Ensuring councils consistently use the powers available to them.
Beth added: “Scotland has the tools, evidence and experience to end destitution for those currently excluded from mainstream support. What is needed now is the resolve to act at scale. Doing so would prevent severe hardship, reduce avoidable harm and uphold Scotland’s commitments to fairness and dignity.”
Fair Way Scotland is a partnership of third sector organisations seeking to prevent homelessness and destitution among those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) in Scotland. Key Fair Way Scotland delivery partners include the Scottish Refugee Council, Simon Community Scotland, Turning Point Scotland and Refugee Sanctuary Scotland– supported by Homeless Network Scotland and learning partners Heriot-Watt University and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Specialist legal expertise is commissioned from a coalition of legal firms: Just Right Scotland, Latta & Co, Legal Services Agency, Settled and Shelter Scotland. COSLA and the Scottish Government are strategic partners, committed to working with Fair Way as part of their commitment to Ending Destitution Together and Ending Homelessness Together.
This month’s free network briefing shares a taste of the action from this year’s annual homelessness conference, including the launch of Everyone Home and All in for Change’s Housing Justice manifesto for the 2026 election.
Click below to catch up – and read all about All in for Change’s peer research report ‘Mapping Journeys through Homelessness’, a report looking back at 15 years of Housing First, a view on the current state of the housing emergency from the Scottish Housing Regulator, a joint letter from Shelter Scotland on refugee homelessness, a round-up of the biggest UK Refugee Week to date, and more.
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People with lived experience of homelessness are uniting with dozens of leading organisations to demand urgent action on Scotland’s worsening housing crisis.
Their joint manifesto was launched at Scotland’s Annual Homelessness Conference, hosted by Homeless Network Scotland, on 27 and 28 October in Perth. It calls on all political parties to commit to a programme of housing justice that will ensure everyone in Scotland has a safe, secure place to call home.
The scale of the crisis has been laid bare in recent statistics, with more than 17,200 households currently trapped in temporary accommodation, a 6% increase in one year, including over 10,000 children.
Nearly 250,000 people are on waiting lists for a social home, and 40,688 households have applied to their local council for help with homelessness last year. On average, those in temporary accommodation wait 238 days for a settled home.
The call comes from members of Everyone Home, a collective of nearly 40 third and academic sector organisations focused on ending homelessness, and All In for Change, a platform that unites lived experience and practitioner insight of homelessness across Scotland to enable decision-makers to drive real change.
All in for Change said: “In the Change Team, we see every day how the housing emergency hurts people who are homeless and those trying to help them. Frontline workers do amazing work, but they’re trapped in a broken system with too little housing and support to fix it.
“Some of us have been homeless ourselves, so we know the reality first-hand. But we believe this can be made better for others, with real political commitment and funding being used more wisely. We’ve laid out clear expectations for party manifestos, and we’ll keep pushing to shield people from the worst of homelessness in this housing emergency.”
Set almost 18 months after Scotland’s housing emergency was formally declared, the manifesto outlines a practical, values-led approach to resolving a crisis that continues to deepen inequality and exclusion.
It sets out five priority actions for the next Scottish Government, under the banner of SCALE. It calls for the launch of a national ‘Big Build’ programme to dramatically increase the supply of social housing, with a target of nearly 16,000 new homes each year of the next parliament backed by at least £8.8bn.
The manifesto urges political leaders to coordinate support services more effectively, so that housing is fully integrated with health, social care and justice to ensure no-one falls through the cracks. It demands that public funding decisions align with housing priorities, including the use of tax powers and long-term investment plans that can give frontline workers and those they support greater certainty.
It insists that housing rights must be protected and fully resourced, warning that too many local authorities are currently struggling to meet their legal obligations. Finally, it calls for fast-track housing and support for groups facing systemic exclusion, including people affected by poverty, discrimination, trauma, gender-based violence and UK immigration policy.
Maggie Brünjes, chief executive, Homeless Network Scotland, said: “Scotland’s housing emergency is a plan gone wrong, driving homelessness and deepening inequality. To reverse this, we must invest in more social housing, higher incomes, proactive prevention and support that is fully integrated across health, housing, justice and social care.
“The Everyone Home collective manifesto is a plan to put that right and a call for Housing Justice. Combining first-hand, professional and academic insight, the manifesto outlines real-world measures to reduce inefficient spending, prevent the worst harm among the worst off, and scale solutions for a Scotland where everyone has a home.”
The manifesto launch will take place at Scotland’s Annual Homelessness Conference, this year titled ‘It’s Personal: the human face of the housing emergency’. The two-day event will shine a light on the real-world, human impact of the crisis, through people with lived experience, advocates and experts sharing knowledge and practical ideas to deliver lasting change.
Helen Murdoch, Asst. Director of Strategic Operations & Development (Scotland) at conference delivery partner The Salvation Army, said: “This year’s conference takes place in the shadow of a housing and homelessness crisis that tests our compassion, our resources and our collective resolve.
“The demand for services that support people experiencing homelessness is far outstripping supply – that must change and change quickly. Conference is an opportunity to explore our role in bringing about that change and The Salvation Army is proud to be an event partner.
“It is also a time to look beyond the headlines and statistics, to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary courage and resilience of teams working in communities, the third sector, local authorities and religious bodies to support people experiencing homelessness.”
Keynote speakers include Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Màiri McAllan MSP, who will address the event, renowned children’s rights campaigner and author Baroness Floella Benjamin, and rising social justice advocate Eireann McAuley, named one of the Young Women’s Movement’s ‘30 under 30′.
Baroness Floella Benjamin OM DBE said: “Having a safe and secure home is the key building block for living a happy and fulfilling life, yet today that basic human need is being denied to too many people. The impact on them is heartbreaking.
“All it takes is the grit, perseverance and determination to face the challenges and to keep on pushing for positive change. There is no shortage of people willing to fight this fight and I support all those who are working to change people’s lives.
“When I address Scotland’s annual homelessness conference I hope to energise and inspire the audience, to bring them joy amid the struggle. I want to remind people that even though it sometimes doesn’t feel like it, the work they do every day can and does change lives. So never give up.”
The launch marks the start of a national conversation aimed at ensuring housing and homelessness are top-tier priorities ahead of the 2026 election.
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