homelessness Archives - Page 16 of 20 - Homeless Network Scotland: we are all in

A new era for All In For Change as 14 new members join

Posted on 5th August 20216th August 2021

Ginny Cooper, Change Lead at Homeless Network Scotland.

This week we welcomed 14 new members to the Change Team. As I hovered my mouse over the ‘Admit all’ button in our Teams virtual meeting I couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive. Before everything went online, we would make people feel welcome through eye contact, body language and offering them a cup of tea. On screen it is much harder to gage how people are feeling. But, as the new faces began to pop up on my screen, smiles and awkward waves were exchanged and I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about.

All in for Change is led by a Change Team of people from across Scotland committed to ending homelessness. Every Change Lead brings unique knowledge to the team. Experts in what homelessness looks like within their networks for the people who are most affected, they bridge the gap between policy, planning and action on the ground.

The team was formed in December 2019 and had only just got established when the pandemic changed everything. After a busy 18 months the Change Team continue to play a major part in helping shape homelessness policy and practice, including the Scottish Government’s updated Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan.

The team use clear language and an open and accessible, collaborative working approach to bridge the gap between decision makers, people working in services and people making use of services, as part of a joined-up effort to end homelessness in Scotland.

As with any coproduction process, the group have embraced their different perspectives and experiences and have been ironing out the details as the programme evolves. But few could have predicted just how flexible the team would become – adapting to remote working online, taking on fast moving and rapidly evolving priorities caused by the pandemic.

Over the summer, and as part of the All in for Change (AIFC) programme, the Change Team has been talking to people from across Scotland to learn from their experiences as part of a national conversation. People who see how decisions made around homelessness look in everyday life. People who want to share how they think change can really happen. Responses will feed into a report presented to the Scottish Government.

To get involved in the national conversation simply complete an online survey here, download our starter conversation here or sign up for one of our interactive workshops, the next one is 11 August and you can sign up here.

Comment: no evictions to nowhere

Posted on 5th July 202126th March 2022

Claire Frew, Policy and Impact Manager at Homeless Network Scotland, comments on the current discussions on evictions and the urgency needed to prevent evictions in homelessness.

Emergency legislation to prevent the enforcement of evictions during the pandemic has played a vital role in protecting people’s homes – and may at least in part have contributed to the reduction in homelessness applications reported during the first year of lockdown.

As circumstances change and restrictions start to lift, partners who came together on this issue in response to the public health emergency are now setting out what is needed in the longer term.

SFHA in a recent report encourage that the pre-pandemic process on evictions needs returned to, that housing associations always arrange payment plans for tenants in rent arrears and will not evict someone who has agreed to, and is meeting, the terms of such an agreement. On the other hand, there are also strong arguments being made for an extension to the pause on evictions; that people’s homes should be protected while there is any level of pandemic restriction in Scotland.

For Homeless Network Scotland, the route forward is clear – under no circumstances should anyone in Scotland be evicted with nowhere to go. That has always been disproportionate, serves no purpose and achieves no gain. This is also a central pillar of Everyone Home, the collective of 35 third and academic sector organisations. We need the focus of the current conversation on evictions to shift there, and urgently.

The most common reason for eviction is rent arrears. The Scottish Government recently announced a £10m fund, grants, not loans, to support tenants who have fallen into rent arrears as a direct result of COVID-19. While the details are still to be worked up, this is welcome. Getting cash directly to people can stop evictions quickly and decisively. It must be directed to prevent evictions and to reset the counter on any stage of the eviction process that the household was at.

We want to encourage confidence – and evidence – that housing associations will never evict someone who has agreed to, and is meeting, the conditions of rent payment plans. And with more support for housing associations, councils and tenants to deliver that.

And importantly, we want more value given to the benefits of early intervention and the value of keeping people in their homes where possible. This outcome can be achieved through a proactive housing management approach focused on earlier intervention, with independent advice, information and advocacy for tenants and resources in place to ensure we do not return to a situation where people are being turned away or moved on without accommodation.

The SFHA report acknowledges the benefits of early intervention and the value of keeping people in their homes where possible. To follow on from this, SFHA – in partnership with Homeless Network Scotland, Crisis and Simon Community Scotland – are inviting bids from housing specialists to research, consult and create a practical resource to assist social housing providers to protect homes, prevent eviction, maximise tenancy sustainment and prevent homelessness in Scotland.

More information from the SFHA website here: www.sfha.co.uk/jobs-online/tenders

Marking one year of Everyone Home

Posted on 8th June 202113th July 2021

The publication of the first Impact Report produced by the Everyone Home collective this week marks a year since people and organisations that are concerned about homelessness in Scotland came together to create a platform to connect, to gather evidence, set priorities and assemble the right people in response to a crisis.

Everyone Home is a unique collective of 35 organisations, including people with lived experience, concerned about the impact of the pandemic on homelessness. It is a third and academic sector group that has collaborated closely with national and local government to implement shared priorities.

In the early months of the pandemic, many aspects of Scotland’s response to homelessness increased in pace, scope and parity in response to the pressure of a public health emergency bearing down on the system.

Over the course of 2020 a commitment from the Scottish Government to listen and take on board radical solutions proved sincere and constructive, with rapid progress on actions that may have taken longer to accomplish under normal circumstances.

Maggie Brünjes, Chief executive at Homeless Network Scotland, who facilitate the collective, said:

“We needed to pool expertise in response to a crisis presenting as ‘too big’ for any single organisation to respond effectively. The speed and urgency, alongside partnership and co-operation, had a direct and immediate impact on policy and practice in Scotland.

“Our ambition is now growing as we finalise our work plan for year two. By retaining this third- and academic-sector structure we can continue to take collective responsibility for mitigating the impact of the pandemic on people going through the toughest times, providing an infrastructure for public sector colleagues, at national and local level, so we can achieve more together.”

The collective has so far published five influential pieces of work. A preliminary framework was published in June 2020 to help ensure there was forward movement in local and national efforts to tackle homelessness at a time of great uncertainty and looking ahead to post-pandemic priorities.

Four subsequent Route Maps followed between June and December. The route-maps were the Collective’s method of cutting through the range of evidence, information and opinion on some of the ‘big questions’ in the homelessness sector – and, importantly, to offer a way forward. They are:

The work plan is firmly rooted in the triple-lock measures laid out in the initial framework produced in June last year – more homes for good health, no return to rough sleeping and no evictions into homelessness. With several key achievements from year one now incorporated into policy and practice in Scotland, the collective is ambitious about what more can be achieved in partnership with national and local public sector colleagues.

An open letter to the new Scottish Cabinet and Ministers

Posted on 27th May 20216th August 2021

Following this week’s statement by the First Minister, those of us concerned about homelessness were reassured by the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to resolve the issue, including £3.5 billion to deliver 100,000 affordable homes.

For the cabinet, ministers and MSPs this period is the beginning of a new Parliamentary term buoyed by our shared hopes for a brighter future. Recognising that Scotland’s journey to eradicate homelessness is continuing, not starting, is central to defining that future, as well as protecting the remarkable progress made to date. We see a welcome focus on action in the first 100 days, and beyond. Because ending homelessness in Scotland IS possible – IF we continue to act on what works, and what matters.

Scotland has Europe’s strongest homelessness legislation and policy – but change on the ground can feel slow. Please consider what we believe are the five most important ‘known knowns’ shaping what we are doing, framing what has been achieved and guiding future direction:

Housing ends homelessness. Scotland will have ended homelessness when every person has a safe place to build and live their life, not just a safe place to sleep. Housing should be in communities that people want to live in. Housing First redresses disadvantage among people whose homelessness is made harder by experiences including trauma, addictions and mental health.
We are not all at equal risk. Estimates show eight per cent of the Scottish population will experience homelessness and we can predict those at greatest risk. Poverty is the most powerful driver, with child poverty a key predictor of homelessness later. We are over eight times more likely to become homeless if household income is under £10k than if over £20k.
Homelessness arrives late in most cases. Councils and charities are carrying the can for missed opportunities to prevent homelessness early. All homelessness starts in a community, and a place-based approach to prevention – tightened by a new legal duty on the wider public sector – can stop it happening.
Hostels were closed for good reason. Temporary accommodation is essential to avoid rough sleeping or other unsafe options on a daily basis. The scale offered by hostel and shared provision can seem appealing. However, that response cannot resolve homelessness, but maintains and sustains it. Evidence proves that a better response is to rapidly accommodate people in a home of their own.
Homeless is a housing status, not a ‘type’ of person. People and families affected have different experiences and priorities. Support needs to be person-led and integrated. Government funding for Housing First in Scotland is drawn from both homelessness and the health portfolios, evidence of a commitment to joint working. Ending homelessness depends on planning and commissioning across multiple sectors and taking an equalities approach.

The Everyone Home Collective is a group of 35 academic and third sector organisations, including this one, committed to ensuring that housing is the first line of defence in our recovery. The collective is working in partnership with All in For Change, bringing lived experience and frontline leadership. We extend a warm invitation to meet us to discuss our shared priorities and how we can help achieve our shared goal of eradicating homelessness in Scotland.

Maggie Brünjes
Chief Executive of Homeless Network Scotland