In this month’s briefing we share a report from the Housing Taskforce, research on ‘missingness’ in healthcare, a long read on the Thistle Safer Drug Consumption Facility in Glasgow, and details of the First Minister’s prevention-focused public service reform agenda.
And you’ll find a wide range of learning opportunities, events and research across homelessness and related sectors. Find the link below and sign up here to get the monthly briefing delivered straight to your inbox – the easiest way to stay in the loop.
Earlier this year, Glasgow Homelessness Involvement and Feedback Team (GHIFT) investigated people’s experiences of using winter night shelters or welcome centres last winter. The team carried out a survey and interviewed people in three day centres, including a women’s service, to gather evidence of what’s happening on the ground right now and find out what people want prioritised in winter 2025-26. Their findings were published in the Homeless in winterreport. GHIFT is a team of Associates of Homeless Network Scotland with first-hand experience of homelessness in Glasgow and at the forefront of work to improve services in the city. Below, team member Jeremy Wylie shares his experience of the project.
Glasgow in the winter is a challenging place. The cold and dark exacerbate the challenges people experiencing homelessness face, such as exposure and further isolation. As a team of people with lived experience of homelessness, many of us are aware of this issue and have slept rough in the winter.
So we wanted to turn our experiences into something constructive and positive. Night services play a vital role in helping people. GHIFT designed a survey of people using those services, so that the experiences of other people can inform solutions and strategies that will benefit everyone who needs support during the rough winter nights in future.
Designing the survey
Our goal in designing a survey was to gather evidence from people using night-time services to advocate for ways to improve this journey. While as a group we acknowledge that there can be trauma associated with shelters, we recognise that these places will continue to exist without better solutions being put in place.
We know there are better solutions, such as rapid rehousing into settled housing or access to community-based temporary furnished flats. But the immediate need for night-time services can’t be overlooked. The survey questions were carefully crafted to bring to light the experiences of individuals in order to identify the benefits and drawbacks of overnight services.
We included questions on people’s sense of safety and security, and challenges such as overcrowding and the lack of privacy. We knew it would not always be easy or comfortable for people to share their experiences, so we thanked participants with a £20 shopping voucher.
Conducting the research
Despite all members of GHIFT having an involvement in this project, three members conducted interviews with 16 individuals – 11 men and 5 women. We spoke to people in the day centres as we know how important it is to meet people where they are, in a familiar setting, with a central location and supporting a diverse range of people, all with different experiences.
To ensure the interviews were conducted ethically and respectfully, we obtained informed consent from each participant and assured them of their anonymity. The interviews were structured around the survey questions but we allowed room for open responses to capture a richer range of responses and experiences.
With all our feedback gathered, we sat down as a team and analysed it to pick out themes, barriers to support, and what is and isn’t working well. All of this is contained in the report. After it was published, we presented our findings to councillors, officials and an MSP at an event in the City Chambers in Glasgow.
Emotional and personal impact
Being involved in this project was a deeply meaningful experience for GHIFT. We had different roles including designing the questions, conducting the research and analysing the responses.
As people with personal experience of being homeless, we felt a strong sense of responsibility – it was gratifying to know our efforts could potentially make a small difference and raise awareness in our city, a place we are proud of, with a rich history and culture.
Glasgow has a global reputation as a leading city in tackling homelessness. However, GHIFT are not oblivious to the challenges the city faces.
At the City Chambers we had an in-depth discussion and to hear the honest truth about those challenges from the people we invited made us feel like we were not wasting our time with this piece of work.
We were all one team in one room, all connecting and trying to come up with a solution. This engagement made members of GHIFT feel respected.
Conclusion
There is no denying that over the past few years there has been a lot of change in the world, from the cost-of-living crisis to wars, and not to mention the lingering effects of the pandemic – an event that forced people to use hotels as emergency shelter and which mentally was a very challenging situation for people trying to get back on their feet.
However, the difficult times we are all experiencing won’t stop us from trying our best and persevering through choppy waters. Despite all the hardship, we saw and heard incredible examples of resilience and people’s determination to overcome their circumstances.
It became clear that addressing homelessness is a complex challenge influenced by many factors. This project reinforced our belief in the importance of compassion and the need for continued efforts to support those experiencing homelessness. It also made us more determined to advocate for those better solutions mentioned above, such as a rapid rehousing that works, and can provide a more dignified and sustainable path forward for people.
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.”
In this month’s briefing: A year after the housing emergency was declared and with less than 12 months until the 2026 Holyrood election, demands for bold, urgent action to increase homes, address inequality and prevent more people becoming homeless are swelling to a chorus.
Two academic papers in recent weeks echo our sector’s call for radical transformation – not least from the Everyone Home collective, whose statement criticising a lack of ambition in addressing the crisis was cited in the Scottish Parliament Housing Emergency debate.
What these perspectives have in common is a plea for fresh thinking not only to address today’s crisis but also to put in place a strategy to build the homes we need to prevent homelessness for generations to come.
And on a grander scale, to create the fair, equal and dynamic country we aspire to be in reality, not just on paper, which means getting both the human and economic parts of the equation right.
You’ll find those papers, statements and other related research below, along with news, webinars and training opportunities in this month’s briefing, along with a subscription link.
Maggie Brunjes, chief executive of Homeless Network Scotland, on why the housing emergency can’t become a cover for deepening exclusion.
Picture two paths: one leads to an ordinary flat, a space to call your own, no different from anyone else’s. The other to a sleeping pod, a hostel room, a homeless B&B or shelter – a separate setup designed ‘for people like you.’
For those navigating homelessness, that second path might provide shelter, but it often comes with a catch – rules, labels, and a subtle message that your choices don’t fully count and your life not fully equal.
The first path, though? It’s mainstream housing, a key to stability, safety and a chance to decide and be who you are beyond your circumstances.
This is not only about roofs and walls. It’s about recognition, dignity, belonging and the radical idea (it sometimes feels) that no one’s life is less important.
Why does this matter?
When housing can’t be provided for everyone, as is the case in Scotland today, then the shape of ‘the next best thing’ becomes extraordinarily important. It reveals what matters and to whom.
Housing isn’t just shelter; it’s a space where life unfolds – and on our own terms. When we offer something lesser or distinct, we’re implying that not all lives deserve the same texture or possibility.
The housing and homelessness sector in Scotland is crying out for a political intervention that is inspiring, ambitious and passionate about housing in Scotland – and which wholeheartedly embraces three truths:
First, that homelessness is a housing crisis – and the most devastating outcome of a broken housing system.
Second, that most of us – if we want it – can thrive in an ordinary home as part of an ordinary community.
And third, that inequality is healed through reform and redress – not by deepening divides that scar the lives of people already at the hard edges.
We have a progressive homelessness sector in Scotland which has delivered major changes to modernise its response over many years. At the heart of that, an understanding that inclusion thrives in the ordinary, framed in a modern policy of prevention and rapid rehousing into mainstream homes.
Progress has included an intentional move away from services like large-scale hostels, ‘shared air’ communal night shelters, outdoor soup kitchens. Away from any initiatives that create stigma by ringfencing people affected together. And away from any services that label or reinforce people as ‘homeless.’
But there is a risk that this direction of travel is forced to retreat by a deepening set of housing challenges that will only mask the extent of deepening exclusion.
What are the big risks?
Currently, the ‘next best thing’ on offer to many people navigating homelessness is the exact reverse of what they need, a parallel system of temporary accommodation of the type and standard that can cause frustration, fear and anxiety – and with the sting of stigma too.
That councils are paying out millions to private operators to profit from substandard temporary accommodation should concern everyone. When fundamental housing services are an opportunity for profit, we send a message: that homelessness is not only an acceptable status quo, but a market to tap into. Literally banking on exclusion, rather than investing in inclusion.
The segregation, short-termism and typecasting that goes hand in hand with these services can have long-term consequences for people’s sense of identity, value and belonging, which for many eclipses any short-term benefit. And we know that these services often become a default, not a bridge, that harden into our systems.
Congregating people in close quarters builds stress, affects health, damages relationships and forces everyone’s hand around fundamental issues like ‘risk.’ Who isn’t at risk when people are held together for long periods at the most difficult time of their lives – in casework waiting rooms, in hotel rooms and B&Bs, in outside queues for food and shelter.
How did we get here?
Scottish Government already has policies restricting the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation and has made funding available to all councils since 2019 to make transitions that will ease and accelerate routes to settled housing.
But three forces have strained local budgets and plans and driven cascading setbacks for councils tackling homelessness:
Global factors: the pandemic and its aftermath, cost-of-living crisis, and the international displacement of people due to conflict and unrest.
UK-wide factors: including UK government fiscal policy, welfare benefit reforms and immigration policy and procedure.
National factors: an accumulating housing deficit leading to the Scottish Parliament’s declaration of a housing emergency in 2024.
What needs to happen now?
In times of crisis, it has been described that we should attend both to the most affected, and the most able to be assisted.
So we need investment in real housing outcomes for people at the hardest edge.
We need to go further to ensure that housing and support services offered are not just equal to but also seek to redress the extraordinary set of challenges and disadvantages that people have faced in their lives. Housing First works by combining ordinary housing with extraordinary support. And because it says, you belong here too.
We need to mobilise the transformation of shared, supported housing for the small number of people that don’t want their own place. This needs jointly planned and commissioned by councils and health and social care partnerships, losing the ‘homeless’ label entirely and helping to break down other ‘care group’ silos and stigma in this provision at a local level.
The most pressured council areas also need investment in a replacement plan for unsuitable temporary accommodation so that there is no commercial profit from homelessness in Scotland. Councils, housing associations and the third sector can provide better for less but need invested in to do so.
And we need to keep working toward the ideal housing system which provides an affordable home for everyone and a tight supply of temporary accommodation to support housing transitions for households that need a safety net in in the short term.
In the platforms we create for people with experience of homelessness, the themes of belonging and being treated with respect are among the most recurring themes. Because people experiencing homelessness aren’t a distinct, separate group with unique needs. Navigating tougher conditions than most, yes, but driving toward the same goals – agency, privacy, stability, safety.
Quick fixes may fill a gap today, but they can carve a deeper divide tomorrow, subtly shaping how we see ourselves and each other in the long run. Inclusion thrives in the ordinary – with thoughtful, inclusive action, the housing emergency can be a powerful catalyst for a fairer Scotland.
The Everyone Home Collective has set out a course of action for the Scottish Government’s Housing to 2040 Strategic Board about taking a people first approach to the housing emergency. Read it here.
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