Category: Reports

Housing emergency risks return of communal night shelters, research finds

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People facing homelessness in Scotland are once again at risk of trauma and harm as the housing emergency threatens the return of old-style communal night shelters, experts fear.

The warning, echoed by people with lived experience of using shelters, comes as groundbreaking research from Heriot-Watt University details how Scotland ended use of ‘shared air’ shelters from 2020-2024, following decades of work by the third sector and local and national government.

The University’s Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) sets out evidence of the serious impact communal shelters can have on people, including exposure to infectious disease and violence, and raises concerns the housing crisis could see more shelters open to fill gaps in emergency accommodation. But the research also shows a return to responses that prioritise good support and access to housing is achievable.

The peer-reviewed research, published in the International Journal on Homelessness, provides the first detailed analysis of how Scotland closed its emergency shelters during the pandemic and maintained a shelter-free response from 2020 to 2024.

Scotland’s approach included rapidly relocating residents to single-room accommodation and establishing Welcome Centres as multi-agency triage hubs. Within eight months, this emergency measure had evolved into formal Scottish Government policy to end dormitory-style shelter provision permanently. This was enabled by policy building blocks developed over previous decades, including strong legal rights to housing, a substantial social housing sector and robust welfare protections.

These foundations resulted in Scotland having comparatively low levels of rough sleeping, 40% lower than England, making shelter closure more achievable than in nations with higher rough sleeping rates.

The research also documents the extensive evidence of the harm caused by emergency shelters while demonstrating there is no evidence that shelters provide a pathway to permanent housing.

Shelters can result in:

  • Some people choosing to sleep rough and take other potentially life-threatening risks rather than use shelters
  • Worse health outcomes than receiving no support at all
  • Violence, infectious disease and drug-related harms from communal living
  • Rules and curfews that limit people’s freedom, high stress, stigmatisation and the feeling of being treated like a child
  • Damaged relationships with friends, family and children
  • People dealing with serious challenges trapped in cycles without their needs being met

Lived experience views

Suzanne, who has experienced homelessness and researched other people’s experiences of using services, said: “With the women it is all about safety. A lot of guys didn’t feel safe but what really came across was that women would rather sleep in the street or hook up with a guy to get away from having to go to the shelter.

“If the only alternative is an unregulated shelter, women would swerve towards going somewhere safe instead. A lot of people feel unsafe when they go into a shelter and can be triggered by the environment, causing them trauma and bringing up past trauma. Shelters are a sticking plaster. Until we come up with a solution there’s still a demand for them. We need an alternative.”

James, who also experienced homelessness, said: “My experience of night shelters was after presenting in Edinburgh. I was handed a list of churches where I could sleep on the floor. I had all my stuff with me, I was pointed to a yoga mat and given an itchy blanket.

“I lay uncomfortably cuddled into my backpack as I was worried it would be stolen when I was asleep. I pretty quickly realised many people were injecting legal highs. At some point during the night there was a queue for the toilet.

“People were sharing injecting equipment, and I later learned that at this point there was an HIV outbreak. This was not communicated and presented a serious risk to those arriving who were already struggling and vulnerable. Some of the community I met in that shelter were later sleeping in a mausoleum in a graveyard rather than using shelter accommodation.”

Threats to a shelter-free approach

Critically, the research identifies the serious threats to maintaining Scotland’s shelter-free approach, including:

  • Rising demand pressures: Homelessness applications increased by 10% in a single year (2021/22-2022/23), temporary accommodation use rose 29% in three years, and the Scottish Parliament declared a national housing emergency in May 2024.
  • During winter 2023/24, Glasgow’s Welcome Centre experienced surges in demand that strained resources.
  • Barriers for people with No Recourse to Public Funds: Current restrictions mean this group can only access emergency accommodation for limited periods, pushing vulnerable people towards rough sleeping or creating pressure for shelter provision.
  • Community pressure: In January 2024, a volunteer-run shelter opened in Glasgow despite concerns from people with lived experience about their safety as well as health risks and increased anti-social behaviour in the vicinity.

Professor Beth Watts-Cobbe, lead author from Heriot-Watt University’s Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research, said: “Our research demonstrates that ending shelter use is achievable, as Scotland proved between 2020 and 2024. This was possible because of policy foundations built over decades combined with rapid action during the pandemic to relocate shelter residents to single-room accommodation.

“However, this progress is now under serious threat from rising demand, inadequate provision for people with No Recourse to Public Funds, and community pressure to reopen dormitory-style shelters. The evidence is clear that shelters perpetuate harms among exceptionally disadvantaged people and fail to provide pathways to sustainable housing. Returning to dormitory-style provision would represent a significant failure to minimise housing-related harms to those who are most in need of support.

“The key lesson from Scotland’s experience is that shelter-free responses are possible but require both the right policy foundations and sustained commitment to maintain them. Other jurisdictions can learn from Scotland’s approach but must recognise that creating these enabling conditions takes deliberate policy choices and adequate resourcing over time.”

The research acknowledges the important role of the Everyone Home Collective, convened by Homeless Network Scotland, in building cross-sector agreement around a shelter-free vision. Their Welcome Centre approach means providing rapid access to single-room accommodation.

We know the solutions

Maggie Brünjes, chief executive of Homeless Network Scotland, said: “For too long, the public image of homelessness has been stuck in an outdated stereotype of night shelters – basic, dormitory-style spaces congregating people in crisis, often accepted as inevitable and ‘good enough’ for those at the hardest edges of society.

“This critical new research highlights Scotland’s remarkable achievement in maintaining a shelter-free response from 2020 to 2024, decisively shifting to self-contained temporary accommodation and settled housing in the community. This hard-won progress – driven by leadership from Glasgow and Edinburgh local authorities, adaptive charities that modernised their services and strong Scottish Government policy – now risks reversal amid surging demand and the national housing emergency.

“People with first-hand experience, academics and charities have long made the case that communal shelters cause unnecessary harm and fear. The joint manifesto from the Everyone Home collective and All in For Change unites these interests ahead of the 2026 election, spelling out the solutions that need scaled for a Scotland where everyone has a home. This research shows that real progress is possible – but only through sustained investment and political commitment.”

The research also notes how both Bethany Christian Trust in Edinburgh and Glasgow City Mission, faith-based organisations that previously operated shelters, played important roles in relocating residents during the pandemic and have become providers of the alternative Welcome Centre model.

The researchers now urge policy makers to:

  • Maintain commitment to avoiding dormitory-style emergency provision, recognising that returns to this model represent failures to minimise housing-related harms
  • Address rising demand pressures through increased social housing supply, enhanced homelessness prevention, and adequate resourcing of alternative provision
  • Remove barriers preventing people with No Recourse to Public Funds from accessing emergency accommodation beyond single nights, recognising that current restrictions push vulnerable people towards rough sleeping
  • Invest in and expand alternatives to shelters including single-room accommodation to provide access to mainstream housing with support
  • Recognise that maintaining the policy foundations that have enabled a shelter-free Scotland to be maintained

The research emphasises that Scotland’s experience provides important lessons for homelessness policy globally, particularly in the Global North, demonstrating that reliance on harmful dormitory-style shelters is neither inevitable nor necessary. However, it acknowledges that Scotland’s achievement was enabled by comparatively low rough sleeping levels and specific policy foundations developed over decades.

Read the full paper

GHIFT investigation highlights risk of ‘shared air’ night shelters as a response to homelessness

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Glasgow City Council has committed to the principle that there should be no ‘shared air’ communal night shelters in the city after hearing hard-hitting testimony of the damaging impact they had on people who were homeless last winter.

The pledge by councillors and officials came at a summit held by Glasgow Homelessness Involvement and Feedback Team (GHIFT) to share findings from their recent investigation into people’s experiences of using shared air night shelters in Glasgow.

GHIFT, a team with first-hand experience of homelessness who work to improve services in Glasgow, invited councillors, officials and MSPs to hear their evidence and inform decisions that will help keep people safe this winter and in the longer term.

The event heard real stories of people who felt unsafe, disrespected and traumatised during the worst crisis of their lives – with some people opting to sleep rough, sofa surf or take other risks rather than use a communal night shelter.

GHIFT also shared examples of good practice and what people want to see from better overnight provision, with safety, privacy and direct links to services among the priorities.

Why did GHIFT do this work?

The team carried out the survey earlier this year to assess the impact on people of changes to overnight winter services in Glasgow for people experiencing homelessness.

Being roofless in winter and during other extreme weather events is particularly brutal due to the intensified physical and psychological toll on people.

Freezing temperatures, snow and ice increase the risk of severe harm. And throughout the year, exposure to high winds, heavy rain or heatwaves also makes people’s situation more precarious. Glasgow has the highest level of rough sleeping in Scotland, followed by Edinburgh, Fife and Highland.

In previous years, a welcome centre provided in partnership between the council and local charities ensured access to individual rooms, meals, multi-agency support and rapid access to self-contained rooms and community accommodation.

But the housing emergency, rapidly rising homelessness, shortages of all forms of accommodation and overwhelming pressure on homelessness budgets and services hampered all efforts to provide a welcome centre last winter.

The team asked city decision makers at the event to resolve this situation as a matter of urgency for the winter ahead and to join them in committing to the principle that shared air shelters are inadequate, compromise dignity and reinforce stigma.

GHIFT members spoke at the event about their experiences of carrying out the survey, including specific concerns women raised about safety, and moving examples of the compassionate and equality-led support they found in other services.

Extreme weather provision during a housing emergency

An accompanying briefing on housing provision in extreme weather makes it clear that doing nothing to improve the situation this year is not an option, with the return of a triage-focused welcome centre the best option in the time available before this winter arrives. The briefing also shows that GHIFT’s findings align with an international evidence review on what works to end rough sleeping, including the effectiveness of shelters.

GHIFT welcomed a shared commitment at the event to work together to do better for people this winter, along with a pledge to preserve people’s existing housing rights, with acknowledgment of the present struggle the city has in meeting these duties.

Glasgow declared a housing emergency in November 2023 and around 30 people are now estimated to sleep rough in the city each night due to a lack of  social and affordable housing.

The council is paying millions of pounds to house more than 1,800 people in 40 unsuitable hotels and B&Bs and failed to offer any temporary accommodation 6,320 times between April and September 2024.

Susanne Millar, chief executive, Glasgow City Council, said: “GHIFT were frank about the bad situations they uncovered in their work, and we were frank about the challenges we face and the resources we need to improve the response to homelessness in the city.

“We welcome that honest discussion. Glasgow has long been committed to eradicating use of old-style communal shelters. Over decades we have worked hard to close down unsafe places like the Bellgrove Hotel and create a modernised homelessness system.

“Everyone around the table wanted the same thing, to provide the best service possible to support people in crisis in Glasgow. The evidence GHIFT has gathered will help to inform how the city can move forward to get to that place as quickly as possible.”

GHIFT said: “One of our priorities is housing, not shelters, as a response to rough sleeping in Glasgow. With winter round the corner, we wanted to gather people’s experiences of using shared air shelters and open a conversation with councillors and officers to make sure that this winter, everyone could commit to a safe solution.

“Our investigation shows that people will choose options that feel safe to them, and that shared air shelters are not a safe place to stay. If no alternative can be provided, people are at risk of sleeping rough because what’s currently available just isn’t good enough.

“We want to feel proud of our city, and to know that Glasgow is providing places for people to sleep safe, not rough, would be a step in the right direction.

“We are really pleased with the conversations with the councillors and officials and we’re ready to collaborate with all partners to make sure the voices of people with personal experience of homelessness in Glasgow are kept at the forefront of decisions on winter planning.”

Homeless Network Scotland, who supported the event, said: “Rough s leeping is the last resort for people who have run out of places to turn to, or for people who are unable to stay where they are but don’t know where to go.

“An ideal housing system would rapidly rehouse and support people year-round, without the need for weather-specific measures. But Glasgow, like many other parts of Scotland, currently lacks the houses and funding it needs to make this a reality.

“GHIFT’s guests at the event heard the sobering truth that for some people, having no safe place to go at night in winter is literally a life-or-death situation.

“So we are clear, as are GHIFT: doing nothing is not an option. And the actions we take during the housing emergency are just as important to avoid straying further from the ideal we all aspire to. Without winter provision that prioritises safety, dignity and what works, we risk rising rough sleeping and deepening harm. “If anyone is in doubt about the danger that causes, we recommend reading GHIFT’s report and considering the wider range of evidence that is available to help decision making.”

Ending destitution: a road map for policy makers

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A new legal briefing sets out steps the Scottish Government and local authorities can take now to mitigate the harm caused to people in Scotland by UK immigration policy.

Ending Destitution in Scotland: A Road Map for Policymakers was commissioned by the Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) and Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) through their role in Fair Way Scotland, a partnership working to prevent homelessness and destitution among people with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).

The briefing by Jen Ang, for legal and strategic consultancy Lawmanity, follows the latest Fair Way Scotland evaluation report Destitution by Design, which sets out the terrible impact of the UK immigration system on people who come to Scotland to work, study, join family or seek safety.

This legal route-map argues that Scottish Government and local authorities can take positive steps to end this situation across seven areas that deliver essential support to people: social security and financial support, housing, transport, health and social care, education, work, justice and legal aid.

It challenges presumptions that reserved immigration law prevents specific groups from accessing support that would mitigate the harm they suffer at present, by presenting workable solutions that national and local government could pursue to achieve immediate positive change.

More broadly, the briefing recommends that decision makers in Scotland can fulfil their commitment to ending homelessness and destitution by reviewing and if necessary redesigning devolved policy, working with the UK Government to define ‘public funds’, improving frontline practice, and establishing parallel systems of support.

Read the briefing

Hostile immigration policies ‘virtually guaranteeing’ destitution and homelessness for thousands living long-term in Scotland

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Thousands of people in Scotland, including long-standing members of communities, are being forced into extreme poverty and homelessness by hostile UK immigration policy, a new report has revealed.

The research includes a survey of those accessing crisis support from Fair Way Scotland, a partnership of third sector organisations helping to prevent homelessness and destitution among those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) or who have other Restricted Eligibility for state support. 

The study by Heriot-Watt University and funded by Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that going hungry and surviving without clothing and toiletry basics was the norm, while rough sleeping was common. 

Key findings: 

  • 97% of those surveyed were destitute, with an average weekly income of just £40.  A third reported no income at all in the last month. Hunger and skipping meals were the norm, with two-thirds reporting going without meals, clothes and toiletries in the last month.
  • 93% were experiencing homelessness, with 53% sleeping rough in the last year. Over half (55%) were in temporary accommodation provided by charities, local authorities or the Home Office. Over the last year, 58% left accommodation with nowhere else to go.
  • People in affected groups showed significantly poorer physical and mental health compared to the general population. Experiences of trauma, violence, stigma, and discrimination were widespread.
  • 66% of those surveyed were not permitted to work, severely limiting their ability to improve their circumstances. The 15% that were permitted to and seeking work typically struggled to get a job because of health issues, homelessness, and language barriers. Experiences of illegal and exploitative work were common through lack of choice.
  • Experience of forced work was reported by 14% of those surveyed over the last year – rising to 16% for EEA nationals.
  • Powerful testimony in the report sets out the mental and physical harms experienced by individuals who have been prevented from working despite desperately wanting to contribute. 
  • Hostile environment policies and enormously complex immigration law push costs onto public services, charitable organisations and communities. Use of expensive emergency and urgent care was found to be especially high for this group.

Most of those interviewed have been living in Scotland for years or even decades. They include those with NRPF who arrived seeking asylum and have, for example, exhausted their right to appeal as well as some who arrived on spousal or student visas. 

It also covers European Economic Area nationals who can’t access support like mainstream housing and welfare benefits following Brexit, despite living and working in the UK for many years. 

Read the report

The report calls on all levels of government to make urgent changes to end this “destitution by design,” including the UK Government simplifying routes to settlement and the Scottish Government using all devolved levers at its disposal to stop this humanitarian crisis from worsening.

The study also highlights the ongoing positive impact of Fair Way Scotland, which provides a lifeline to those it supports. People benefit from, and deeply value, the holistic and flexible casework support that aims to progress their immigration case, helps them to engage with lawyers and the Home Office, and attends to their immediate and wider needs. 

Alongside casework support, some accommodation and modest financial support is also provided in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, but availability falls far short of demand given the limited funding available. 

Professor Beth Watts-Cobbe, from the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) at Heriot-Watt University, said: 

“The levels of need, deprivation, disadvantage, and trauma experienced by those with No Recourse to Public Funds or Restricted Eligibility amounts to a humanitarian crisis among a group often hidden from public view. Many of those affected have been in the UK for years, if not decades, contributing to our communities but left without access to basic support. 

“This report shows this to be a highly diverse group of people, including those who came to Scotland to seek sanctuary, European nationals who still face challenges as the UK transitions out of Europe and those who arrived to study or with their partner. 

“Two thirds of those we spoke to are not allowed to work, blocking their ability to support themselves out of these dire circumstances and stifling their ability to contribute to the society they desperately want to make their home. These counterproductive hostile environment policies affect thousands of people across Scotland, crushing their potential and creating destitution by design. The level of need is shocking but the issue is entirely preventable with concerted action. 

“It is time to stop passing the buck. Radical and urgent reforms are needed that prioritise people’s ability to access the essentials and live a dignified life. The new UK Government must commit to ending the unnecessary hardship that is being caused by current immigration policy and urgently change course. 

“We also seek commitment from Westminster to support the Scottish Government and other devolved nations in their efforts to ensure that everyone has access to basic essentials whatever an individual’s immigration status.”

Deborah Hay, Senior Policy Advisor (Scotland) at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: 

“Scaling up Fair Way Scotland is now critical given the growing demand for help, but mitigation programmes like this shouldn’t be necessary. 

“The integrated offer of casework support, legal advice, accommodation, and cash support provided by Fair Way Scotland partners is transformative, even lifesaving, for those who are able to benefit from it. However, demand far outstrips availability.

“Scaling up this response to meet the level of need requires increased buy-in and investment from a range of social partners. The Scottish Government, independent funders, local authorities and housing associations must work together to reduce the harm caused by current immigration policy, by using every tool at their disposal.  Public services and charities, stepping in to address appalling state neglect, are also bearing the preventable and costly brunt of those policies, and must be fully supported.

The report makes a series of urgent recommendations to stop the humanitarian crisis from worsening, including:

  • Calls for all levels of government to end “destitution by design” within immigration policies and implement measures to ensure non-UK nationals can avoid homelessness and destitution. 
  • The UK Government must simplify routes to settlement, process all claims fairly and quickly and require, empower and adequately resource local, regional and devolved Governments to provide an immediate basic safety net for all.
  • The Scottish Government should exercise all devolved levers at its disposal, and commit resources to effectively implement its vision to end homelessness and destitution in Scotland. 
  • This includes co-investing with independent funders, housing associations, and other partners to rapidly scale up Fair Way Scotland, ensuring the partnership can provide more people with safe housing in community-based properties, with linked cash payments and access to legal advice and other support. 

Lived experience 

The report includes evidence from people directly affected by the UK’s ‘hostile environment’ immigration policy, including Sofija, a European national who has lived in Scotland for nine years.

For much of that time Sofija lived in vulnerable and highly insecure places and eventually experienced street homelessness. She said: “It was a horrible shock, and an experience that almost destroyed me. I was constantly scrambling for somewhere to stay.” 

Jamal has been living in the UK for 17 years, arriving to seek asylum from persecution abroad. He said: “You are not able to work. You cannot work. You cannot support your family. You cannot support your kids… it turned [my] relationship upside down.”

Kunal arrived in the UK more than a decade ago as a 26-year-old keen to pursue his education and escape homophobic persecution in his home country which had left him feeling mentally broken.

Unable to afford student accommodation, Kunal initially stayed in an overcrowded two-room flat with 12 other people, making it difficult to focus on his studies. After he was robbed, his college closed and his visa application was refused, he became homeless, sleeping rough and in shelters where he faced threats and exploitation. He walked the streets in minus temperatures, battling hunger, in fear for his safety and terrified of losing his vital documents.

A turning point came when the Scottish Refugee Council assisted him in submitting a fresh application and he is currently in temporary accommodation. Kunal remains anxious about his uncertain future, caught between the fear of danger at home and his continued insecurity in the UK. He longs to return home but knows doing so would expose him “to certain danger.” But he added: “I’m not safe here [either]”

Kunal explained that he has intentionally given away belongings because of his housing insecurity, saying: “I’m trying to reduce my stuff now, give it to charity and stuff, so it will be easier to move from place to place.”

8 calls from the frontline of the housing emergency

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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.

Read the report