8 calls from the frontline of the housing emergency

What does the national housing emergency look like on the ground? How is it affecting people at risk of homelessness and the staff trying to support them? What’s getting in the way of improving things and what’s going well despite the pressures?

Earlier this year the All in for Change team’s Taking the Temperature National Roadshow toured the country to find some answers to those questions.

The Change Team spoke to 146 people on their travels to Aberdeen, Clydebank, Falkirk, Greenock and Kirkcaldy, including frontline workers and people who have experienced homelessness as well as local authority staff, managers and councillors.

They wanted to hear directly what’s going on across the 5 Housing Options hubs, and gauge progress towards achieving All in for Change’s 4 New Directions – the priorities the Team has identified that will make services work better for people.

This report sets out what the Team heard and fed back to colleagues on the Scottish Government and COSLA Homelessness Prevention Strategy Group last week.

Their evidence is captured in 8 calls from the frontline of the housing emergency – what needs to happen now on prevention, housing supply, culture change, caseload levels, creating more joined-up services, harnessing community assets, and more.

All in for Change is made up of people who know what homelessness looks and feels like through experience. Homeless Network Scotland and Cyrenians facilitate All in for Change, which is funded by the Scottish Government and Frontline Network.

By learning from the wider knowledge and experiences of people and services, the Change Team can use its platform to influence change. And by supporting their findings, you can be a part of that ambition too.