Category: Blogs

A Curious Moment: Rapid Rehousing in Scotland

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Doug Gibson is Programme Manager at Homeless Network Scotland.

There’s a saying that people overestimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in a decade.

There’s another one about how we should plan in decades, think in years, work in months, and live in days.

These may be good soundbites but they also speak to a truth, which is that a slant towards long-term planning is vital if we are going to end large-scale homelessness for good. After painstakingly drawing up five-year plans, local authorities and their partners are now underway with their transition towards rapid rehousing as the default response to homelessness.

It is a curious moment. As we arrive in the ‘20s, more and more eyes are looking to Scotland to learn from these plans and the progress being made here, while at the same time challenges continue to arise for those tasked with progressing these plans.

The changes are moving us towards permanent housing for as many people as it suits, towards a reduction in the use of costly temporary accommodation, and towards accessible and compassionate support for all who need it – to the level they need it, and for as long as they need it.

This shift – and specifically the actions within Scotland’s action plan to end homelessness and rough sleeping – will require patience and a willingness to interrogate and adapt our own processes and presumptions. We are all going to have to forgot what we think we know. It will require trust that the long-term plans are the right ones, and a shared commitment to seeing them through.

However, if the progress of 2019 is anything to go by, Scotland can look ahead to 2020 with optimism regardless of the challenges now and those still to come.

Although trends recently have been in the wrong direction with applications rising, homelessness applications have decreased 39 per cent overall since 2008/09. Five regional Housing Options Hubs have been established.

Over a third of authorities are operating Housing First to some extent, with more getting underway all the time. Assertive winter initiatives are again underway on the streets of our towns and cities to help people stay safe and warm and to further empower frontline workers.

When authorities’ five-year transition plans come to a close in 2024 new plans will be drawn up.

Homelessness will never not be an issue to some degree, but if we plan in decades and underestimate what we can do in that time then it will affect far, far fewer people when the ‘30s roll around than it does today.

Ending homelessness in Scotland – are you all in for change?

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Written by Celeste, a volunteer with Homeless Network Scotland

All in for Change is a powerful collaborative development that is about to hit the ground running, bringing together people with lived experience of homelessness, frontline staff and people at government level.

This Change Team means business and will be represented on a national strategy group on homelessness chaired by the Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart MSP.

Around 20 Change Leads will build a national network of those living and working with homelessness to influence policy and strategy at a local and national level, while developing an online shared resource which will ensure everyone to keeps up to date with what is happening.

No one understands the need for change better than staff in frontline support and advice roles along with people, like me, who have experience of homelessness. With my fellow volunteers at Homeless Network Scotland, I have brought lived experience of homelessness to the table to share information, challenge current systems and effect positive change by communicating with people in different roles in the sector.

Over the last few years there has been some fantastic research conducted with people who have lived experience, which has produced insight on what the real issues are. The importance of lived experience consultation and participation in the planning and decisionmaking process is now recognised as being important at both local council and government level here in Scotland.

This is a crucial step forward as it means that collaborative teams are being formed so that decisions are made ‘with’ those who have lived experience rather than ‘for’ them. It gives people like me an additional voice, a place at the table and a key part in the decision making process. It is empowering and long overdue.

This new and high-profile team of passionate, non-judgemental, respectful and open-minded people with frontline and first-hand experience of homelessness, will lead the systems, practice and culture change we need. Well connected to people and groups across areas and services they represent, the team won’t be afraid to have the ‘difficult’ conversations needed to take control and influence policy and strategy. Team members will be challengers not ‘yes men’, they will be disruptive when necessary and passionate about making things better.

Supported by Homeless Network Scotland (formerly GHN), Cyrenians and Scottish Community Development Centre, the work is funded by Scottish Government and the Frontline Network, from St Martin-in-the-Fields. Anyone invited to be part of the team will not have to give up their day job. Drop in information and chat sessions for those interested in being part of the team are being held in Perth, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Troon. For further information and application pack please click here