Breaking down barriers to support for people at the hard edges will create a more equal Scotland

No Wrong Door Scotland partnership launched to create a blueprint for joined-up services that address multiple disadvantage

A major new test of change has been launched to explore how to break down barriers to support faced by tens of thousands of people in Scotland who face multiple disadvantages – with their experience made worse by unequal access to help. 

No Wrong Door Scotland will draw on a wide range of professional, academic and lived experience to explore how to better serve people who are dealing simultaneously with issues such as homelessness, poverty, addiction, offending and mental ill health. 

Experts in the action learning partnership will address the mismatch of services that focus on a single issue and the overlapping challenges many people face – often as a result of adverse life experiences going back to childhood. 

This fragmented model forces people to repeat their story and often relive traumatic events when they go round the different ‘doors’ in the system in search of help. 

A National Learning Set of experts who will oversee and contribute to the programme met for the first time in Edinburgh on Monday 16 September. 

The two-year programme will wrap a learning cycle around existing services at local level to understand how to deliver No Wrong Door in different geographical and service contexts.  

Evidence gathered from the services run by Aberdeen Foyer, Cyrenians, Penumbra and Turning Point Scotland will feed into the National Learning Set, who will develop a National Framework for creating cross-sector and integrated service delivery. 

They will share evidence gathered from the test-of-change with the Scottish Government’s Ministerial Oversight Group on Homelessness, to influence a new model of service design. Homeless Network Scotland is the learning partner in No Wrong Door Scotland. 

No Wrong Door Scotland is made up of third sector innovators, lived experience experts, policy makers and leading public figures. They include former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, now associate director at the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Glasgow; Karyn McCluskey, who helped create the groundbreaking Violence Reduction Unit and is now chief executive of Community Justice Scotland; and leading international scholar on homelessness Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick. 

The partnership builds on findings in the Hard Edges Scotland research co-authored by Prof Fitzpatrick, director of Heriot-Watt University’s Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research (I-SPHERE). 

That report set out how people who have suffered experiences such as trauma, violence and poverty are much more likely to face multiple and overlapping disadvantage.

But they are also less likely to be able to get the support they need because of services operating in ‘silos’ – fuelling a vicious cycle of disadvantage and inequality.

The Hard Edges research revealed that 5,700 adults experience three ‘core’ forms of severe and multiple disadvantage (homelessness, offending and substance dependency), while 28,800 experience two out of these three.

The four test-of-change services are based in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Fife

Aberdeen Foyer’s service focuses on upstream work in schools to ensure young people don’t face barriers to support, while Cyrenians’ Hospital In-reach Service supports patients who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Penumbra’s Hope Point is a 24-hour wellbeing centre that supports people in emotional distress. Turning Point Scotland’s Fife Support Service marries a Housing First model with an innovative Whole System Approach to prevent and respond to homelessness.

Maggie Brunjes, chief executive of Homeless Network Scotland said: “It is well established that the way services are paid for and provided does not work for people who, on top of traumatic life experiences, are also dealing with issues including physical and mental ill health, substance use, homelessness, poverty and offending. 

“The current model doesn’t work for anyone. It makes navigating the system difficult for people, it widens disadvantage and inequality, makes key workers’ jobs harder and it mounts pressure on public spend. 

“The Scottish Government is already committed to using a No Wrong Door approach across a range of social policy, but we need a shared definition of what this looks like and a national framework to inspire local and national action.  

“By using evidence of what is working locally, and what needs to change, we can firmly challenge the status quo and demonstrate that a better way is possible.” 

➡ For more information, visit nowrongdoor.scot.

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

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. 

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.”

August Network Briefing

This month’s Network Briefing shares details of booking and sponsorship opportunities for Scotland’s annual homelessness conference in October, themed ‘Right here, right now’, spanning 2 days for the first time and delivered this year in partnership with Salvation Army.  

Early bird tickets are open until the end of the month, offering a 20% discount – there’s a range of packages available, including residential options for maximum convenience. Got something to promote? Check out this year’s expanded sponsorship options.

We also announce a brilliant celebrity addition to the speaker line-up… who could it be ❓

And we bring news of the Supported Housing Task and Finish Group, which published its final report and recommendations with a launch at Queens Cross Housing Association’s impressive Wellbeing for Young People service, attended by Housing Minister Paul McLennan.

Elsewhere in the briefing you’ll find news of a great new appointment to HNS, themes for the next All in for Glasgow design session, and a great success story from Salvation Army’s Eva Burrows Centre in Cambuslang.

As ever there’s a wide range of news, research and coverage across a range of sectors. And we’re pleased to bring you details of upcoming training opportunities in our Learning Lounge. Enjoy.

Future of supported housing report launched at Glasgow event

The Supported Housing Task and Finish Group, appointed by Scottish Government and COSLA, has published its final report, recommending that national and local emergency plans should prioritise work focused on reducing temporary accommodation and the better targeting of shared and supported forms of housing. 

The report was launched at Queens Cross Housing Association’s Wellbeing for Young People service in Glasgow on 24 July.

Housing Minister Paul McLennan, left, toured the modern facility which gives people aged 16-25 self-contained accommodation with flexible support, and chatted with residents.

This was followed by a webinar that offered an overview of the report from Homeless Network Scotland chief executive Maggie Brunjes and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations policy lead Eileen McMullan, who co-chaired the Task and Finish group, and a panel discussion and Q&A.

The minister praised the facility and told the Glasgow Times there could be opportunities for social investors who the Scottish Government has met with to get involved in similar projects.

The report charts a new direction to position supported housing more confidently among the range of housing options available. It recognises that most people can build and live their lives in an ordinary home as part of an ordinary community, but that supported housing should be available for a very small proportion of the population who are unable or don’t want to live in mainstream housing.  

This should be a settled housing option for as long as someone wants it, and therefore breaking the stigma of ‘homeless’ supported housing altogether. The research clarified that people don’t want to share a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen, but do want the option of shared spaces. 

The group also set out a vision of the best spaces for people to live in, the support on offer, and the funding and commissioning challenges and changes needed to make the report’s aspirations reality. Its report follows a comprehensive review over 14 months that drew on new research of people using shared accommodation and a survey of local authorities.

a person washing dishes

Key recommendations from the evidence-led review include:

  • An ideal model of supported housing offering a self-contained home in a smaller-scale setting, with its own bathroom and cooking facilities, easy access to great support, some common space, and consistent quality standards.
  • Maximising security of tenure for tenants plus fair funding arrangements to make sure no one is stuck in a life-limiting ‘benefit trap’ created by high rents.
  • Moving to a joint funding and commissioning model between health and social care partnerships and local authorities, to break the ‘care group’ stigma attached to supported housing’s legacy as shared ‘homeless’ accommodation.

The Task and Finish Group report provides recommendations to the Scottish Government, local authorities and housing providers to create a model that enables social landlords to remodel or reprovision existing models of supported housing.  

The group built on work in the Shared Spaces research which clarified the role of supported or shared housing as a settled home option for the 2 to 5 per cent of homelessness applicants who are locked out or opt out of a mainstream tenancy.  

The review was informed by evidence from expert contributors on housing and support themes, a survey of 19 local authorities providing supported accommodation across Scotland, case studies of existing good practice, and lived experience expertise. 

Shona Stephen, QCHA chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Housing Minister to our new housing development for young people. We are very proud of the exceptional quality of accommodation provided by Queens Cross Housing Association and by its Housing First for Young People support team.   

“We work together to provide homes for young people and the support needed to allow them to flourish in their tenancies. Our success is rooted in kindness, in never giving up and in a shared commitment to our young people across the organisation from staff to Board Members.  The benefits of close collaboration between the support team and the landlord can be seen in the successes achieved by the young people themselves.” 

Maggie Brunjes, Homeless Network Scotland chief executive, said: “Homelessness policy has undergone radical modernisation in recent years and transforming the way supported housing is used to support a small group of people is the final piece of the puzzle.  

“While this report arrives in a landscape dominated by the housing emergency, it sets out all the evidence and the steps needed to reframe supported housing as an option that will help to address homelessness for people facing a range of social, health and economic disadvantages. Queens Cross Housing Association provides an excellent example of how that is done.” 

Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “I welcome the publication of this report, which explores how supported accommodation can make a positive contribution to preventing and responding to homelessness.   

“The Scottish Government remains committed to tackling homelessness and improving the supply of social and affordable housing in Scotland. We will carefully consider all of the recommendations set out in the report and will respond in due course.” 

Sally Thomas, Chief Executive at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said: “It’s essential that our housing system is fair and meets everyone’s needs, particularly at a time of a national housing emergency and record homelessness. 

“This vital report sets out the importance of a joined-up, multi-agency approach and one of the core aims is to help to reduce the stigma of supported housing. 

“Queens Cross Housing Association, like many SFHA members across Scotland, not only provide high quality, warm, affordable homes, they also offer a vital lifeline in supported housing to help individuals overcome many of the barriers associated with homelessness.”

Housing First in focus: Glasgow

From 31 tenancies in 2018 to 318 total tenancies today, Housing First has scaled up in Glasgow, providing homes with flexible support for people whose homelessness is complex and often tied up with issues including mental health and addiction.

The city’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) works successfully with Housing Associations to provide Housing First homes, with a current target of 600 tenancies.

A sample of 20 tenants shows that prior to their tenancies they made a combined 220 homelessness applications, some dating as far back as 1994 – Housing First clearly works to keep people facing overlapping disadvantage in tenancies.

Eleanor Lee, Principal Officer for Housing First at Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, says the city has learned on the job and refined its processes over the last six years in the face of unprecedented pressures. Here, she sets out how the system operates to ensure people’s wellbeing needs are met.


My team consists of a team leader, senior addiction practitioner, eight assessment officers and a resource worker supporting governance.

The first step is a referral to Housing First – anyone can refer you and you can self-refer. A crucial new addition at this stage is an in-depth pre-screening of candidates, looking at their historical data on our systems.

The idea is to assess risk, look at how systems have responded to a person’s needs and trauma, what needs to happen this time to keep a person in a tenancy. A care manager has input from the start of the process. The assessment is also available across the HSPC systems, meaning applicants don’t have to repeat their story again and again.

We then link up with a Registered Social Landlord who has accepted the tenant to discuss matching their needs to a tenancy and raising any potential issues.

Successful applicants sometimes have to wait for upgrades to a void and it can be a challenge keeping them stable in temporary accommodation while they wait. But some of our tenancies have been out of this world. Low-level, great condition houses. It’s not all perfect but there’s really been an effort here to make the best offer.

A care plan is then put in place. When someone is moving into a new type of tenancy, wraparound support and building a relationship with a support worker is critical.

In Glasgow we recognise that a good relationship with a Housing Officer is important too, and they will meet the tenant before the tenancy. The tenant is more likely to flag problems if they have a rapport – say the water’s off, they might not tell their care manager or support worker.

Landlords often add in a bit extra – a starter pack, or fire-resistant bedding if a fire risk has been identified – instead of refusing housing which would have happened in the past. The aim is to prevent issues arising in the first place.

Once the tenant has moved in, six and 12-week reviews are carried out with them, in the property, to ensure they’re safe and well before we sign-off on the tenancy. They may be vulnerable to exploitation or self-harm, like cuckooing and hoarding. There is a part missing though. When your life has been chaos for 20 years you might not know how to run your home, how to keep it clean and tidy. People should have the opportunity to learn these skills before their tenancy starts.

During the tenancy, a cycle of care managers will be on board to get responses within the HSPC to things that aren’t going right – this is where a whole systems approach comes in.

There is an issue around mental health services; our shared understanding of the issues is unclear. Sometimes we’ll see a tenant struggling mentally even after a community practice nurse has said they’re fine. We’ll try to look back in whether through the adult support protection route, the care manager, a service review – whatever needs to be done.

Quite often when we start assessment people have burnt their boats with their family, and after coming into Housing First they re-establish connections.

One tenant was in the Bellgrove Hotel hostel in Glasgow for 14 years. His marriage broke down, he was separated from his wife and kids, he lost his job, was drinking heavily and had anger management issues. He now needs no support and has re-engaged with his family. He told us: “I’m not angry at life now – I’m happy with life”. Others have moved on in recovery, they’re going to university, taking courses.

The final stage is the overview. We have a weekly live caseload with updates on cases from the support organisations, and a fortnightly case management meeting to highlight concerns about tenants.

We work with the wider homelessness system in Glasgow, liaise with RSLs and provide six-monthly Scottish Government monitoring report with qualitative information about tenants, looking at their journeys rather than seeing people as numbers. Reporting includes within the GCCHSPC and to the Integrated Joint Board. There is a huge amount of governance and reporting but you need to understand how things are going.

During Covid there were no lets and we’ve not properly recovered. There’s big pressure on homelessness from leave to remain cases, from indigenous presentations, and a downturn in availability of housing. Referrals are more than double the 318 tenancies.

But looking at the statistics, of the 61 people in tenancies in 2021/22, 45 are still there, which is remarkable. You can see how the system of assessment is improving, support is improving and having an impact. It’s amazing to see.