Category: Blogs

Housing First passes 300 tenancies

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Scotland’s Housing First Pathfinder has created more than 300 tenancies with an additional 50 added since April, the most recent monitoring report has revealed.

Housing First provides ordinary, settled housing as a first response for people whose homelessness is made harder by experiences such as trauma and addiction. The Pathfinder launched officially on 1 April 2019, supported by housing providers across the country with Wheatley Group leading, and with funding from the Scottish Government, Social Bite and Merchants House Glasgow.

Figures for August 2020 are the second highest so far in terms of new tenancies started, with 21 people moving into their own home and a total of 306 tenancies started. Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire joint Housing First consortium marked 55 tenancies created, almost half their target of 120.

The key indicator of ‘tenancy sustainment’, which shows how many people kept their tenancy, remains high over the full first year of the Pathfinder, this month at 87%. This compares favourably to international benchmarks for tenants who often have trauma and long-term homelessness as part of their life experience.

Of the 40 tenancies that have ended during the Pathfinder, 19 were cases where a tenancy could not be sustained successfully – for example, abandoning the flat. The remaining 21 ended for other reasons – sadly, mostly likely to be as a result of the death of the tenant or long-term prison.

Dundee, at 49 tenancies, is just one shy of the halfway mark towards a target 100 tenancies. Housing First tenant, James, from Dundee, was the second referral for the city’s consortium and took up a Housing First tenancy after recovery from addiction and periods of rough sleeping.

James said: “I didn’t want to go into a hostel because I wanted to keep away from that environment and support my recovery, so I stayed on the street. The Housing First team kept in touch with me and really got to know me, and then they helped me find a flat, now it’s just weekly check ins. After about a year I chucked away my sleeping bag when I finally felt sure I was going to be safe and secure in the flat. Housing First has changed my mindset and I’ve built a new life for myself.”

Doug Gibson, partnerships manager at Homeless Network Scotland, said: “Each milestone reached is down to the hard work of tenants, housing providers, support workers and local partners and never more so than in recent months. A significant scaling up of Housing First was signalled by the First Minister in the recent programme for government, which makes the National Framework for Housing First, due to go out for consultation shortly, timely.

“That will provide a clear and comprehensive resource to support every partner and sector starting or scaling up Housing First in Scotland in line with our original objectives and the new urgency brought about as a result of the pandemic.”

Safe as Houses: Conference now open for sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities

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Safe as Houses, 20 – 22 October

We are proud to host Scotland’s largest networking and knowledge events 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.  

This year we are going online – but with no zoom doom or webinar fatigue! We are using a specialist conferencing platform to reach further and more creatively – and make sure every delegate gets a unique conference experience. 

Join us as an event partner, sponsor or exhibitor and be centre stage at this key event. Find out more about how you and your organisation can get involved in Scotland’s annual homelessness conference here.

Full programme and booking information will be available soon – until then make sure to save the date, 20 – 22 October!

Comment on Scottish Government homelessness statistics

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Maggie Brunjes, Chief of Executive of Homeless Network Scotland:

“We know homelessness is not always prevented or responded to quickly enough and today’s figures from 2019/20 show there is still work to do, despite such a determined policy environment in Scotland. 

The system itself is outdated and too often doesn’t reflect what actually works and what matters. This is changing but change on the ground can be slow and the pandemic has heaped uncertainty onto an already complex problem. 

“The causes of homelessness are predictable and most often rooted in disadvantage, which restricts people’s options. The figures also highlight housing supply and housing access issues and increasing the supply of suitable homes for families and individuals is pressing.  

“Effective prevention can stop homelessness before it starts and a top-level group is working on how we can get better at this. If someone’s homelessness is not prevented that person should be accommodated quickly in normal, settled housing with the right support – this is the focus of Scotland’s rapid rehousing and Housing First approach.” 

“The statistics released today do not include the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on homelessness: the ‘overnight’ success in lifting people out of rough sleeping, a ban on evictions and urgent measures by charities, councils and government to plan ahead for this winter. Nor do they fully reflect the first year of Scotland’s ground-breaking rapid rehousing plans coming into effect. However, the figures are a reminder that the big, structural systems change needed to end homelessness, which is well underway, must continue at pace.” 

Full details are available on the Scottish Government website here

Human Rights and No Recourse to Public Funds Consultation

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Some people are more exposed to a range of trauma and harm as a result of the circumstances they were born into. Some of the most harrowing experiences are lived by people from parts of the world where they are no longer safe and who ask from Scotland a place of safety, peace of mind and the opportunity to put their knowledge and skills to good use. 

For others from across Europe who want to make Scotland their home, we can protect them from homelessness, exploitation and destitution by enabling the advice and support to formally settle here and to get on with building and living their lives. 

Together, we can create a helping environment instead of a hostile one. This is our ambition, and it is shared by the Everyone Home collective, Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA). We have agreed to work together to develop a human rights-based pathway to safe accommodation and support for people who are destitute with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).

Having no recourse to public funds is for most people a temporary experience. We have developed a route-map which aims to mitigate the damaging impact of the experience of having no recourse to public funds. 

Until the end of September 2020 we are consulting widely on this route-map. We need your unique insight and feedback so that we can improve and deliver this ambitious new approach. Together, we can end destitution in Scotland. 

You can respond to our consultation here or by contacting us directly: 

hello@everyonehome.scot
0141 420 7272
0783 443 7185 
Join the conversation on social media at #EveryoneHome 

Sponsor Mick’s Skydive for Homelessness

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In August, new dad, Michael (Mick) Wright, plans to jump out of a plane at 10,000ft to thank Glasgow’s Housing First programme for supporting him as moves on with his life after experiencing homelessness a couple of years ago.

Mick is due to take part in a sponsored skydive to raise money for the Salvation Army.

Glasgow’s Housing First programme provides normal settled tenancies to people with some of the hardest experiences of homelessness, and the Salvation Army undertakes wrap around support to help maintain tenancies and let people get on with building and living their lives.

With underlying health issues including diabetes, Mick experienced homelessness two years ago. He lost his job as a chef after experiencing some additional health issues. “I was really low. I was too proud to go back to my mum and dad’s,” says Mick. “I wanted to try to get a house of my own but I couldn’t afford the rent. I found myself just walking about and I ended up going to homelessness services.”

In September 2018, Mick secured a one-bedroom Housing First flat in Hillington and, since then, hasn’t looked back. Five months after moving into his new home, he met his new partner and they went on to have a baby boy, Freddie, in December 2019. He has also passed his driving test and hopes to find work supporting other homeless people.

Michael said: “Housing First has been amazing for me. It was magic when I got my one-bed flat and I would not have got to where I am now without the help of my Salvation Army case worker. We have moved to a wee house big enough for the baby and I want to get back into work when my health improves hopefully.”

“My life has turned around 360 degrees. I feel better physically and mentally. I’m in a good place now and I couldn’t be happier. My life is full of positive things. I have my two boys, an amazing partner and a new addition to the family. Hopefully now I can drive it will open more doors for me.

“A skydive is something I’ve always wanted to do and I want to give something back to the people who helped me. I will be jumping out of a (perfectly good) plane from over 10,000ft and free-falling at a speed of up to 120mph. Please help me raise funds to fight homelessness.”

Anyone who would like to sponsor Mick can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mick-wright84