More than 70 colleagues joined a Homeless Network Scotland online event that explored the action we need to get out of the housing emergency while ensuring people’s rights are met and best housing outcomes are achieved today and in the long term.
Attendees and contributors from across councils, homelessness, housing, lived experience and academia lent their expertise and insight to Staying the Course in a Perfect Storm: Prioritising homelessness in a housing emergency.
They were asked to consider: What do we need to Defend, Direct and Divert to ensure we have the right systems, resources and values that will drive the best housing and support outcomes for people in Scotland now, while paving the way to a better long-term future?
Put another way, what do we protect, where do we bring clarity, and what do we need to do less of? And in what order?
As a jumping off point, we used the ‘Defend, Direct, Divert’ route-map created collaboratively by 250 attendees at last year’s annual homelessness conference (find it here, with a conference report). We need to defend the culture change that’s been achieved in homelessness over recent decades, with progressive rights and a solid plan for moving people on from temporary accommodation and into settled homes quickly.
We need to direct and influence each other on how to make rapid rehousing a reality, how to increase housing supply, improve prevention and achieve the outcomes in the Ending Homelessness Together plan. And we need to divert time, money and effort towards doing more of what works and away from falling back on the failed solutions of the past.
Read more on the event and some of the key takeaways we heard in a short event report.
All in for Change is a team of people with personal and frontline experience of homelessness who work to influence change in the way we address and resolve homelessness in Scotland. The Team first met in December 2019 to help close the gap between policy and action on the ground – to act as a bridge between the Scottish Government and people who access and provide support.
Since forming – and despite hurdles like the Covid-19 pandemic and the housing emergency – the Change Team has stayed passionate about pushing for change and ensuring that lived experience expertise is integral to policy making and culture change.
The Team is represented on the Homelessness Prevention Strategy Group (HPSG) and other government working groups, and contributed to the Ending Homelessness Together Plan. All in for Change has influenced policy around rapid rehousing and temporary accommodation, given evidence to the Scottish Parliament and played a major role in developing the Ask and Act prevention duties in the Housing Bill now going through parliament.
Through national roadshows, the Team gathers evidence of what is working for people experiencing homelessness and the workers who support them – and what could be better. The Team has set out 4 New Directions to end homelessness in Scotland and measures progress towards these goals.
To celebrate 5 years of All in for Change, Homeless Network Scotland’s Michelle Major and Change Leads Shea Moran and David Pentland – who have been there from the start – reflect on the value of the Team’s work and how it has grown to meet the challenging conditions we face.
Michelle: Thinking back to the first Change Team retreat in December 2019, none of us could have known the challenges ahead of us. We were filled with optimism, motivated by a new plan to end homelessness in Scotland.
We were ready to contribute to decision-making by ensuring the voices and realities of homelessness across our communities were represented and heard by those with power to make change.
Within just a few months, the world as we knew it changed, with the Covid pandemic and lockdown. The way we responded to homelessness, and to rough sleeping particularly, was unrecognisable compared to the “business as usual” approach we were used to.
Facilitating the team throughout this time was a challenge and also an inspiration – the speed people were able to adapt, and how quickly we could understand how the ever-changing landscape was impacting people experiencing homelessness showcased the true value of All in for Change – a mechanism to tap into what really matters to people and what really works in services supporting people.
While that feels like a lifetime ago, I believe that experience was formative for all of us, All in for Change included. It set the tone and showed us all what we are capable of.
Since then, the grit and personality of the Change Team has grown and evolved, and membership has naturally changed with time too.
But we’ve never lost the magic of the team, the ability to speak truth to power, to be cooperative and challenging at the same time, to always tell it like it is.
Undoubtedly that’s down to the brilliant people who have chosen to join us, to dedicate their personal time or professional time to the team, to making things better and ultimately to playing a part in ending homelessness in Scotland.
I truly feel that facilitating the Change Team is a privilege – personally it’s the first time I had the opportunity to get involved in something in its development stage and watch it grow into a vibrant team.
Meeting the team each month at our Change Team retreats is always the best day of the month, where we are challenged to investigate the gaps in policy implementation, to learn, to prioritise and to influence at a national level.
And going into our fifth year, we are ready to level up – our national roadshow where we record progress towards the Ending Homelessness Together action plan in 2025 will be stronger than ever with a peer research programme supporting it.
We are ready to create solid evidence about what works and what matters to people experiencing homelessness across Scotland, and to work with our partners to make sure that evidence is able to influence the changes we all want to see – a fairer society where homelessness is not business as usual, and is responded to like the emergency it truly is.
Shea: Mad to believe that the Change Team is five! It’s amazing to see how far the Change Team has come, how much we’ve accomplished in that time, and how far our reach has grown since that first meeting.
I never imagined that a group of frontline workers and folks with lived experience would have so much influence and respect within the sector.
Although I probably should have expected it when you’ve got someone like me helping out
I’m still in the group because I think it serves as a great template for how engagement with lived experience and frontline workers should be done.
Everyone in the group is equal, people feel comfortable enough to express their opinions and know that those views will be respected or that they can receive constructive feedback or criticism!
David: I have been involved in All in for Change since December 2019. I had no real concept of the inner workings of our Scottish Government prior to joining the team. I have learned so much about policy and legislation as a result of my involvement.
Some of the high points in my involvement include being part of the Prevention Commission where we came up with the concept of ‘Ask and Act’ as well as other homelessness prevention duties.
The roadshows were also a real privilege to attend and facilitate. Meeting frontline workers and people experiencing homelessness from across the country was a real eye-opener and really embedded some of the overarching priorities that the team had to highlight.
And they highlighted the outstanding achievements of some local authorities where despite obvious challenges, they were doing their utmost to make individual experiences of homelessness the best they could be given the circumstances.
Lastly but most importantly, we couldn’t do what we do without the facilitation of Homeless Network Scotland and the large input we get from the Scottish Government.
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.
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.”
The latest All in for Change briefing to the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group sets out what the Change Team wants the Scottish Government to know about and prioritise to bring about positive change in homelessness services.
April’s report also shares some of what the team learned about the state of homelessness services – the good and not so good – during the recent Roadshow, which visited five locations. This snapshot of what’s happening came through interactions with more than 100 people who came to the events, including many frontline workers.
Read the report [PDF] to find out what the team’s top priorities are and more.
Homeless Network Scotland’s chief executive Maggie Brunjes, and Prof Andrea E Williamson from the University of Glasgow co-authored an editorial in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published this month.
It highlights the stubborn collective consciousness that continues to divorce homelessness from the larger health and economic inequality that causes it – and encourages health professionals to adopt an ‘inclusion health’ approach that can help reduce the unacceptably poor health outcomes among people affected by homelessness. Find the BMJ article here.
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