This month’s Network Briefing includes new research on subjects including refuge accommodation and ethnicity and homelessness. You’ll also find events and launches from Shelter Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland, plus news, training opportunities and more.
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A new unified model of support for people experiencing homelessness in Glasgow launches today – shaped by the expertise and priorities of people who’ve been there.
The blueprint for the new WAYfinder service was co-designed by Glasgow Homelessness Involvement & Feedback Team (GHIFT) a team of Homeless Network Scotland Associates with direct experience of homelessness, working alongside service providers and commissioners from Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (GCHSCP).
The design process took place across five sessions hosted by Homeless Network Scotland last year as part of a collaboration called All in for Glasgow.
GHIFT members used their experiences of accessing support in the city to shape the principles and focus of the service and add fine detail on how it would work best on the ground. Leading homelessness charities from across the city shared their expertise and insights – and their aspirations for transformative services.
The name stems from team member James Stampfer’s insight that good quality relational support starts with a worker asking “Who Are You?”– emphasising the importance of understanding each person’s strengths and their journey.
The All in for Glasgow sessions examined how to join up community services, public services and specialist support services commissioned by GCHSCP for people navigating homelessness. The ambition is to ensure the right services at the right time, where people have maximum choice and control toward a life beyond services.
WAYfinder is designed to provide joined-up support so people don’t have to tell their stories repeatedly to get support from different parts of the system. A service model that works to combat the harmful effects on people of homelessness and reduce exclusion of marginalised groups were also identified as priorities by GHIFT.
GHIFT members have welcomed the start of the new services. Martin Boyle said: “I hope WAYfinder does what the name says, by providing a seamless approach to support for people to navigate the system with a worker alongside them. I want people to feel supported through their journey and have someone who sticks with them.
“It’s a great thing because it emphasises supporting people in communities rather than traditional ways of support. It’s a totally new way of support having organisations working together and connecting people in with their communities.”
Jeremy Wylie added: “I enjoyed having the level of responsibility GHIFT held throughout the process, especially when we evaluated the submissions. I felt like we were really an equal part of something and made an important contribution for a cause that we all believe in.”
Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership said: “Teams across the HSCP, in conjunction with people with lived experience of homelessness, have been working to develop a new service, WAYfinder, to deliver outreach services for people experiencing homelessness, which starts today.
“The HSCP thanks Homeless Network Scotland and the Associates from the Glasgow Homelessness Involvement Feedback Team for their work in developing the new service and looks forward to working with the WAYfinder partner providers in this important step in our efforts to help people find their way into settled, sustainable and secure housing.”
Today marks a day when the GHIFT team once again show the depth of their individual expertise and collective commitment, and the irreplaceable value of working with people who really know what homelessness looks and feels like.
Homeless Network Scotland has appointed Alex MacEachin as Treasurer to the Board.
Chartered Accountant Alex trained and practised at multinational giant BDO and has extensive experience in property and construction finance. He joins HNS from real estate investment firm LXi REIT where he was finance director of the company’s Investment Advisor arm.
Alex is a graduate of the University of Aberdeen and specialises in real estate. He has a background in leading public companies, managing investor relations, debt origination, equity raises, mergers and acquisitions, and all operational matters. He relocated from London to Glasgow earlier this year following a merger.
Homeless Network Scotland is the national membership body for organisations and individuals committed to ending homelessness in Scotland.
The board of HNS is at the forefront of this work and Alex joins a dedicated and passionate group with decades of experience and expertise.
Alex said: “It is impossible to ignore the impact rising homelessness is having on people and communities across Scotland. I welcome the chance to use my skills and knowledge to assist the work of Homeless Network Scotland and the Board.”
Homeless Network Scotland board chair, Jackie Erdman, said: “We’re delighted that Alex has chosen to join us to provide financial oversight for our organisation.
“Alex joins a board dedicated to the sector-wide effort to tackle the current housing emergency and to the creation of systems that prevent and resolve homelessness for people more effectively in future.”
Seven projects across Scotland are to receive funding from a £1million homelessness prevention fund created by the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Homeless Network Scotland are jointly administering the Upstream Homeless Prevention Fund.
The successful projects form a learning programme running from June 2025-April 2026, with an overarching aim to prevent homelessness by funding tenancy sustainment and early intervention activities.
Funded activities help tenants remain in their homes, and the pilots will add to learning about the role of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) in delivering new ‘Ask and Act’ homelessness prevention duties in the Housing Bill.
The projects support new and existing partnerships between RSLs and the third sector to provide community-based activities dedicated to tenancy sustainment. Each local partnership includes a cash fund to enable individual cash payments of up to £1,300 to practically help people avoid or exit homelessness.
The successful homelessness prevention projects are:
The fund will promote learning ahead of implementation of the Ask and Act duties, which will require a wider range of ‘relevant bodies’ to be involved in preventing homelessness.
It is supporting RSLs, the third and community sector to understand respective roles and connections to other relevant bodies and test local route maps to the new prevention duties. In doing so, the fund is supporting understanding of the role of housing associations to:
• Ask about housing circumstances through existing functions.
• Act on the information received to prevent homelessness or mitigate risk by using existing powers.
• Refer to local authority for homelessness assistance, if necessary, rather than by default.
The Fund will be accompanied by a programme of peer learning sessions and a final evaluation in 2026 that SFHA/HNS will make available to the wider memberships.
For over 25 years, Maggie has championed transformative approaches to homelessness. Since 2010, as Chief Executive of Homeless Network Scotland, she has led the national network uniting organisations to deliver innovative solutions and advocate for a Scotland where everyone has a home. During that time she has co-founded impactful initiatives such as Housing First Scotland (2016), the UK-wide Centre for Homelessness Impact (2018), the Everyone Home Collective (2020) and Fair Way Scotland (2022). As a member of the Minister-appointed Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group, Maggie helped shape Scotland’s national plan to end homelessness and continues to influence policy through national frameworks.
Accepting the award, Maggie said: “I am deeply honoured by this recognition from Heriot-Watt University, whose Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research leads global efforts to address housing disadvantage and social inequality, with their relentless pursuit of knowledge directing transformative change in Scotland, the UK and beyond.
“This award reflects the dedication of the Homeless Network Scotland team and our wider partners and associates. While we’ve made significant strides in addressing homelessness, the housing emergency has halted progress. This moment only fuels our resolve to pursue urgent solutions to Scotland’s housing and homelessness challenge.”
Professor Richard A. Williams, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, said: “Maggie Brünjes has brought about lasting, system-wide change in the fight against homelessness, inspiring policy and partnerships across Scotland and beyond and whose work exemplifies the values of purpose, compassion and global impact that Heriot-Watt holds dear.”
The laureation was delivered by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Director of the Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research at Heriot-Watt University. This, along with Maggie’s response, can be viewed at this video link from around 30:40m.