Author: Janice Higgins

Rent Better Research Findings

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The role that the Private Rented Sector can play in ending homelessness in Scotland has long been the subject of debate.  For some, the more limited security of tenure and higher rents makes it a less than optimal option, and for others, the potential additional choice of location offered by the sector can be important.  

The introduction of the new Private Residential Tenancy in December 2017 sought to improve security of tenure and access to justice by providing open-ended tenancies and ending no-fault evictions.  To understand the impact of these legal changes on the rights and responsibilities between landlords and tenants, the Nationwide Foundation commissioned Indigo House to deliver the three-year Rent Better research programme.   

The first report from the research programme has been published with key findings including that while the majority of people feel secure in their tenancy, the minority that feel less secure are those with less financial power – those living in deprived areas, on lower incomes and housing benefit.  Also, the research showed that more effort is required to support tenants to build knowledge of their legal rights.

A short video outlining the research project is available at Baseline introduction from the Nationwide Foundation | Rent Better (indigohousegroup.com) and the full and summary research reports can be found at Findings | Rent Better (indigohousegroup.com)

Home Office Policy Further Discriminates Against Rough Sleepers

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Many organisations and local authorities across the UK have voiced serious concern over a new Home Office policy affecting migrants that makes rough sleeping grounds for removal for non-UK nationals, providing the Home Office with the discretion to cancel of refuse a person’s leave to remain if they are found to be rough sleeping.

The new policy came into force on the 1st of December however the Home Office is yet to publish guidance on how the policy should be implemented by local authorities. 

Many migrants are affected by No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) conditions, as part of their leave to remain or visa conditions, or due to their status in the asylum system, meaning they cannot legally access social security or access homelessness services when they fall on tough times. Those seeking asylum in the UK are also not permitted to work, cutting off another route out of destitution. Many fear that the new policy will drive those with NRPF into dangerous or exploitative situations to avoid risking their leave to remain as people may be fearful to access outreach services and routes out of rough sleeping at the risk of deportation. 

It is estimated that 300-500 people in Scotland with NRPF experience destitution at any one time who may be affected by this policy change and find their leave to remain at risk due to a lack of resources as a result of Home Office policy. Homeless Network Scotland joined as a signatory on a joint letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel MP and Secretary of State Robert Jenrick MP to bring attention to the concerns of many migrant and homelessness organisations across the UK. The full letter can be found here.  A response to the letter was received on 14 December 2020, notably confirming that the new rules will not come into effect until new guidance is published. The response can be found here.

Homeless Network Scotland are working with the Everyone Home Collective to develop a 5 year strategy for Scotland to support people with NRPF to access accommodation, legal advice, advocacy and practical assistance in line with the route map outlining how to create a society where we prevent destitution amongst people with NRPF and protect human rights. The full route map can be found here. 

Learning Lounge Open For Bookings 2021

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Our Learning Lounge for January-March 2021 training courses is now open for bookings.

Our 2021 knowledge and learning prospectus uses the technology we have all become familiar with in recent months, such as video conferencing and webinars, to compensate for being unable to serve up more traditional training in person. Each session is interactive, fast paced and participatory as well as using the most up to date evidence and research from across the sector.

Most importantly our new menu of training includes new ingredients, drawing on what we have learned since March 2020, as an organisation and as a sector. You will find respected and popular favourites plus brand new options.

Take a look at our training brochure here and book your place here. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates about future courses.

One year of being ‘All In For Change’

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December 2020 marked one year since 30 people with their own personal stories of homelessness, from working in the sector and living the experience, came together to form All In For Change. This is the first such group in Scotland combining both lived and professional experience.

After a busy and particularly challenging first year the Change Team continue to play a major part in helping shape homelessness policy and practice, including the Scottish Government’s updated Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan.

Change Team members are drawn from across Scotland – experts in what homelessness looks like on the ground for those most affected by it. The team use clear language and an open and accessible, collaborative working approach to bridge the gap between decision makers, people working in services and people making use of services, as part of a joined-up effort to end homelessness in Scotland.

As with any coproduction process, the group have embraced their different perspectives and experiences and have been ironing out the details as the programme evolves. But few could have predicted just how flexible the team would become – adapting to remote working online, taking on fast moving and rapidly evolving priorities caused by the pandemic.

Derek Jaffray, Change Lead, has personal lived experience of homelessness and reflects the view of many in the team, saying:   

“Being part of the Change Team has given me a real sense of purpose, it’s been an important part of my recovery and helped my mental health. I have had some great opportunities to influence those at the top and I feel proud to be called a Change Lead.”

Kevin Stewart MSP, Scottish Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, said:

“Congratulations to the Change Team for all their hard work over this past year and reaching its first birthday. I was pleased that the updated Ending Homelessness Together High-Level Action Plan, published in October, included the voices of people who are most directly impacted.

“We will continue to ensure that the voices of people with lived experience, like those from the Change Team and our colleagues working on the frontline, are at the heart of what we are doing to end homelessness. We remain committed to working closely with and listening to the Change Team in the months and years ahead.” 

Maggie Brünjes, Chief executive at Homeless Network Scotland said:
“What a year – and what a team! Congratulations to everyone in the Change Team for all that’s been accomplished during such a difficult year. Influencers, change-makers and reality checkers – we are so inspired by everything you have achieved.”

The Change Team continue to play a major part in influencing the new plan to end homelessness in Scotland, recommending that 4 New Directions are needed: People First; At Home; No Wrong Door; Good Vibes. These new directions were created from the actions set out in both the original (2018) and updated Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan. Their purpose is to create clear goals to ensure changes in homelessness policy are being translated into practice.

Shelly Coyne, Cyrenians, said:
“Cyrenians is proud to be involved in leading this programme with HNS and SCDC and enabling people with first-hand experienced to have a seat at the policy table. Reflecting on this first year, it is humbling to see the enthusiasm and passion the team have for change in Scotland and the drive for the challenges ahead in 2021 and in the future.”

Susan Paxton, Head of Programmes, SCDC, said:

“It’s been a privilege to work with such a diverse and talented group of people as the Change Team over the past year. It’s clear that their hard work is paying off by the strong relationships they’re managing to build with policy makers in Scottish Government and elsewhere. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but there’s no doubt their commitment and determination to make a difference makes them critical players in the growing collaborative effort to end homelessness in Scotland.”

Significant work that has fed into policy and practice over the past year.

  • Five Calls from the Frontline – stemming from conversations had between Change Leads about the challenges the outbreak was creating for people working in homelessness services – influenced the initial action plan of the Everyone Home Collective.
  • The Change Team have been able to take their knowledge gathered on the ground and translate it into policy, using the views and concerns of their networks to inform some key conversations. This included a roundtable with MSP Kevin Stewart, where Change Leads were able to question, discuss and highlight the issues brought forward by people who work with or experience homelessness.
  • The team were asked to participate in a crossover meeting with the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group (HARSAG) as part of their consultation process to inform updated recommendations. Change Team members were able to present their priorities which then fed into the updated Ending Homelessness Together Plan.

The Change Team are supported by partner organisations, Homeless Network Scotland, Cyrenians and the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) and is represented on the Homeless Prevention Strategy Group (HPSG) chaired by the Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart MSP.

This work is funded by the Scottish Government and the Frontline Network, from St Martin-in-the-Fields. This enables Change Leads with lived experience to be paid for their time and expertise at the real living wage.

Reflecting on a Year of Influencing Change – and What we Have Learnt Along the Way

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Led by Change Leads from across Scotland, All in for Change is supported by partner organisations, Homeless Network Scotland, Cyrenians and the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) – each bringing a unique perspective and focus. 

As we continue to celebrate the 1st year anniversary of the launch of All in for Change, Shelly Coyle, Ginny Cooper and Susan Paxton reflect on their experience supporting the group to grow and evolve since it launched last December.

Ginny, Homeless Network Scotland: “All in for Change is a unique and exciting programme. We provide support and guidance to the Change Team, working together to make sense of the knowledge shared and translating this into key messages and actions to pass on to policy makers and those making critical decisions for homelessness in Scotland. The pandemic has shown how flexible the team can be – adapting to meeting online and taking on shifting priorities in Scotland’s actions to end homelessness. We too have had to adapt to support this.” 

Susan, SCDC: “Looking back I think we’ve come a long way in the past year, it’s been such an amazing learning experience and one that I’m grateful for. We all came into the programme after it had started and I was excited to be meeting the Change Leads for the first time at the monthly retreat in March, then COVID hit and I thought ‘what are we going to do now?’.”

“We decided to go ahead with the retreat as planned but moved it online, and we proved pretty quickly that it could be done (and we’ve been doing them ever since) but there were challenges, both technical and about the relationships we were trying to build. None of us have even met in person yet, but the Team are so determined and passionate about ending homelessness that everyone pulled together, everyone’s contributed, and the Change Leads have responded to every opportunity put in front of them. The amount of work they’ve done has been truly inspirational in what has been a really challenging time.”   

Shelly, Cyrenians: “From my perspective, a really special part of this work has been observing the relationships that Change Leads have formed, watching barriers between those from different sectors, and people with different experience, eroded. This is the goal, I suppose, in all our work in this sector, that we see each other as people, and all experience is equally valued. Perhaps we could be seen as a little microcosm of what the rest of society could be like.” 

Ginny: “This experience has taught me so much already. First and foremost, to be flexible and embrace the different perspectives and personalities of the people who make up the team – allowing us to disagree and work things out together. We are continuously learning. Second, to not rely on too rigid a structure and allocate time for people to share and listen to each other. It has been important to accept when working in this way that, although the programme does have a goal and purpose, the pace and direction has to be shaped by the team.” 

“Like anything new, it can be challenging at times. It is hard at first to see how the passion for change, seen amongst Change Leads, translates to influence and creates impact at policy level. It’s about trusting the process and giving it time.” 

Shelly: “It has been a privilege to see how Change Leads have firstly found their voice as a team, and then become aware of the potential of the place at the table that they have been afforded by linking into the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group (HPSG) and speaking directly to policy makers and influencers. I am excited how hungry the team are to capture a wider breadth of experience, to learn more from their networks and then draw on this knowledge and ensure policy makers are listening and responding. It’s a pretty unique situation.”

Susan: “We (SCDC) came into the programme as co-production ‘experts’, which is misleading because we always say there are no experts in co-production! We all have our own unique insights, experiences, knowledge and perspectives and no one is more important than anyone else. As facilitators we had to learn when we were doing too much and taking too much of a lead, and when to step back. I think we navigated that reasonably well because we were determined to listen to what Change Leads were telling us – what was working, what wasn’t and reacting and responding all along the way.” 

“I think creating the space for conversations, both about what’s happening in policy but also about what Change Leads were experiencing during COVID has helped build strong foundations for us to work well together as a Team. We’re still learning, but we know a lot more about striking that balance between getting work done and making sure the way we’re working feels right for everyone involved.”

Ginny: “We have many things we still need to work out. How to better embrace the range of needs and skills in the group and allow these to develop and grow. How to ensure we create a unified goal and voice, but still respect the experiences and knowledge of the individual members.”

“I’m encouraged by the support the Change Team are receiving from decision makers, and the rest of the sector. This has shown us that there is a growing thirst for partnering with people with personal and professional experience to develop and deliver the best policies to end homelessness in Scotland.”

All in for Change is an inclusive programme where, through clear messages and information sharing, a collaborative effort to end homelessness in Scotland is driven. It provides the vehicle for ‘planning and policy’ to plug into ‘practice, place and lived experience’ in an informal, but informed and connected way.

Homeless Network Scotland bring a wealth of experience capturing the voice of lived experience around policy work and influence and their national network connections enhance the programme.

Cyrenians bring a rich perspective that is embedded within frontline homeless service provision in Edinburgh, mid-Lothian and Falkirk and also their links with the Scottish Frontline Network.

Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) are the Scottish leaders in community development and co-production and ensure the programme adheres to the original values.All in for Changeis the participation arm of the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group (HPSG) and is funded by the Scottish Government and the Frontline Network, from St Martin-in-the-Fields.