The future of supported housing as a response to homelessness in Scotland

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 group 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.

Importantly, this should be a settled housing option for as long as someone wants it, breaking the stigma of ‘homeless’ supported housing. The research clarified that people don’t want to share a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen. And choice is key – the option, rather than requirement, to use shared spaces is what people want.

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.

An overall ambition of the group, co-chaired by Homeless Network Scotland chief executive Maggie Brunjes and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations policy lead Eileen McMullan, was to chart how supported housing can sit more confidently within the range of housing options, in a modern policy landscape focused on prevention, rapid rehousing and the Housing 2040 vision for future housing in Scotland.

The group makes clear that this transformation must be supported and enabled at a local and national level, over a realistic timescale and involving colleagues across housing, health and social care at a planning, commissioning and delivery level.

And it points to the complex DWP funding mechanisms that create a range of important considerations and consequences for residents and for local authorities. The report adds that supported housing may be considered as an option for young people who don’t have high support needs but who want to stay in a shared living environment with peers.

The policy context and background

The genesis of the Task and Finish Group’s appointment and work can be traced back to a change in policy focus to Rapid Rehousing and Housing First in 2018. That switch opened up an opportunity to redefine the role of supported housing as a response to homelessness.

This led to the commissioning of 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 locked out or opt out of a mainstream tenancy. The Task and Finish Group’s work acts on that evidence.

The group’s review was further 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. Find a full policy and research timeline below.