Category: Blogs

Homeless Network Scotland set to launch a new Learning Lounge

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Homeless Network Scotland is set to launch a new Learning Lounge at the Safe As Houses conference later this month. This represents an expanded programme of learning and training options from Homeless Network Scotland.

Two new courses will be available immediately after the launch, with more courses being added in January 2021. Initially, all training will be delivered via an online training platform and booking priority will be given to existing customers and businesses.

Full details of the new courses and how to book will be available from 20 October on the Homeless Network Scotland website.

All in for Change

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The All in for Change programme has adapted over the past months to new ways of working. With increasing requests for Change Leads to be involved in webinars, the team has begun to review how their unique collaborative voice, of people with front line and lived experience, can continue to influence change.

The Change Team played a central role in consulting the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group (HARSAG) on their updated recommendations for Scottish Government, and have since been invited to review the revised Ending Homelessness Together plan before it is published. 

This has sparked an opportunity for the team to re-visit the four New Directions which underpin the All in for Change programme (people first, no wrong door, at home and good vibes) in light of the changes happening on the ground due to continued restrictions.

This month, the Change Team will be participating in the Homeless Network Scotland annual conference, Safe As Houses, where they will be joining live panel discussions as well as hosting their own webinar. 

They also continue to contribute to the Everyone Home collective and help to shape route maps focussing on Prevention and the Private Rented Sector.  

Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill Published

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The Scottish Government has published the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill, introducing it in Parliament on 2nd October.  

The Bill creates additional protection for people who are at risk of domestic abuse, particularly where they are living with their abuser.

As well as introducing new orders and notices to provide short-term protections to fill identified gaps in law, the Bill also gives additional protection to people in social housing who experience domestic abuse. It introduces new legal provisions to allow social landlords to terminate the tenancy rights of someone who has been abusive to their partner or ex-partner, with the aim of preventing homelessness for people experiencing domestic abuse.  

You can read more about the new  Bill on the Scottish Parliament website.

Safe As Houses, booking now open!

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Booking is now open for Scotland’s largest networking and knowledge event on ending homelessness.

Across 3 dynamic days (20-22 October), Safe as Houses will explore what is needed to build forward from the last 6 months to make sure that homelessness services – and people directly affected – are not left carrying the can for a global health pandemic.  

As well as exciting guest speakers, including Kevin Stewart MSP (Minister for Local Government, Housing & Planning), Safe as Houses will feature live lounge panel discussions and speed training opportunities.

The programme opens for bookings today (Wednesday 30 Sept) previewing more than 25 different sessions within five broader themes to connect and reflect on what we know, what we’ve learned and how we can build a shared understanding to move forward together. Our themes are:

  • a global pandemic: drawing out international learning and comparisons on responses to homelessness
  • whatever the problem, the answer is relationships: exploring the role of relationships as the lynchpin for professional and personal wellbeing
  • a day in the sun for good law and policy: building from recent successes to ensure it is upheld on the ground every time and for every person
  • same storm, different boat: redressing the unfairness at the root of homelessness and the impact of the pandemic and its aftermath
  • if we don’t all row, the boat won’t go getting alongside each other – in all our different roles – to make a collective impact on homelessness.

Full details of all sessions are available here.

This year we are going online – but with no zoom doom or webinar fatigue! We are using a specialist conferencing online platform to reach further and more creatively – and to make sure every delegate gets a unique conference experience. From 20-22 October ‘Safe As Houses’ is a menu of seminars and interactive online sessions that lets you pick-and-mix the things you’re interested in, meaning you create the conference you want to attend.

Booking is essential, so reserve your place at Scotland’s annual homelessness conference today.

We can’t wait to see you there.

The Prevention Commission’s final report published

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The Prevention Commission – people with lived and frontline experience of homelessness and members of the All in for Change Team – have been working together for nine months to help design new legal duties to prevent homelessness in Scotland. 

Through their meetings they have come together to share our wide range of experiences to support the work of the Prevention Review Group, which will make a series of crucial recommendations to the Scottish Government about new homelessness prevention laws. 

As a Commission we have prioritised an approach to prevention that: 

  • Is built on asking people what they need and acting on it, striking the best possible balance between housing security and housing choice  
  • Looks to re-establish homelessness services as a true safety net for emergencies that can’t be prevented 
  • And ensures duties to prevent homelessness are shared across Local Authorities, Housing Providers, and Health and Social Care bodies. 

Being involved in the Commission was exciting and challenging for everyone involved and members of the Commission were delighted to have directly influenced the work of the Review Group. 

All of the Commission’s reports are available to read on the Homeless Network Scotland website, and you can read their final report here.