Tag: Ask and Act

SWAP: Edinburgh launches innovative pilot to prevent homelessness

A new pilot aimed at preventing people from becoming homeless has officially been given the go-ahead in the Capital after the Council and partners were awarded funding from the Scottish Government.

The System Wide Approach to Prevention (SWAP) – ‘Ask and Act’ initiative will be piloted in Wester Hailes, providing earlier interventions and practical support to help people at risk of homelessness to remain in their homes.

The launch follows the recent passing of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 which places new legal duties on public bodies to ask about a person’s housing situation and take action to prevent homelessness before it happens.

Across Scotland, 15 projects are sharing £4 million through the Homelessness Prevention Pilot Fund, administered by Advice Direct Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, to develop and test prevention pilots.

A team will now be created in the Capital which will include public and third-sector partners. They will be trialling new models of working to provide co-ordinated and timely support for individuals and households at risk of homelessness.

The ‘Ask’ and ‘Act’ duties will be embedded in everyday services provided by partners in the Wester Hailes area.

The services working in partnership with the Council to deliver these duties are NHS Lothian, Police Scotland, Prospect Community Housing, Social Security Scotland, Scottish Prison Service and Crisis.

This approach will allow them to identify what people need help earlier, offer support directly, and request further help and support via a single point of contact within the Council’s prevention services.

Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, Tim Pogson said: “This is fantastic news, being awarded just over £600k from a £4 million fund for the whole of Scotland is a tremendous endorsement of our proposal, and I’m grateful to the team who brought it together and partners for agreeing to be part of this.

“It will also help us boost our efforts to tackle the housing emergency facing the city. It’s exciting that work is already under way, and I’m confident we’ll see positive results in the new year.

“Preventing homelessness and supporting tenants before they reach crisis point is essential to ensuring as many people as possible have a secure home.

“Last year alone, our homelessness prevention services helped 2,622 households as part of our Local Housing Strategy, the city’s overarching strategy for housing and homelessness.”

Màiri McAllan, the Housing Secretary, Scottish Government, said: “We are determined to end homelessness – and the best way to do this is to prevent homelessness in the first place.

“This investment in prevention pilots will help us test and scale up innovative approaches to help people stay in their homes.

Scottish Government: Further investment to prevent homelessness

£4 million for pilot projects

A fund for pilot projects to help people to stay in their homes has been launched by Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan.

Managed by Advice Direct Scotland, the £4 million fund will support organisations to pilot new ‘ask and act’ measures. These duties, as part of the Housing (Scotland) Bill currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament, will require bodies such as health boards, the police and prison service to take reasonable steps to prevent homelessness.

This Programme for Government commitment builds on an existing Scottish Government investment of £1 million from the homelessness prevention fund.

During her visit to West Granton Housing Co-operative in North Edinburgh Ms McAllan found out more about their ‘Get Settled’ project which supports 400 households who are homeless, or facing homelessness, across Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian and Fife.

Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “We are determined to end homelessness – and the best way to do this is to prevent homelessness in the first place. This investment in prevention pilots will help us test and scale up innovative approaches to help people stay in their homes.

“By taking action to prevent homelessness and reduce demand on the homelessness system, we can help ease the housing emergency.  

“Projects such as West Granton Housing Co-operative’s ‘Get Settled’ demonstrates how targeted support can transform lives by not only helping people to find a home but supporting them to settle into their communities.

“By working with housing associations, registered social landlords and other third sector partners we are building the foundations for legislation in the forthcoming Housing Bill to help prevent homelessness.”

Chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland Andrew Bartlett said: “Advice Direct Scotland is proud to be at the centre of such a landmark moment for homelessness prevention.

“The new ‘ask and act’ provisions shift the focus from crisis intervention towards proactive prevention which could save many people from enduring the trauma of homelessness.

“We look forward to working with organisations across sectors in Scotland to help people at risk of homelessness.”

Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications for Crisis Scotland, said: “Far too many people in Scotland are being forced to experience the trauma and indignity of homelessness in circumstances where, with the right help, it could have been prevented.

“These new legal duties, requiring public services to ask people at risk of homelessness about their housing situation, then act to offer support if needed, will help change that.

“But these plans are a world-first, and for the changes to be effective it’s vital we test out how they will work in practice, before the new protections are rolled out across the country. By running a series of pilots on the new homelessness prevention duties we can make sure those working in health, justice, education and beyond are fully prepared to play a greater role in ending homelessness in Scotland.”

‘Ask and Act’ – advice.scot

The West Granton Housing Co-operative administers £260,000 in grant funding for Get Settled ARCHIE services via seven housing associations who are members of the Alliance of Registered Co-operatives and Housing Associations, Independent in Edinburgh (ARCHIE).