Tag: Right There

Homelessness prevention pilots extended across Scotland

Almost £1m to support ‘ask and act’ projects ahead of implementation of new legislation

Projects helping to prevent homelessness across Scotland will continue until the end of this financial year following additional Scottish Government funding of £945,000.

The Homelessness Prevention Pilots test approaches to early intervention and prevention. This fund will help organisations deliver ‘ask and act’ measures – new duties proposed in the Housing (Scotland) Bill that require public bodies to ask about a person’s housing situation early – and take action to prevent homelessness before it happens.

The extra funding is in addition to £4 million announced for the pilots in August last year and the extension will help maintain prevention capacity while final evaluation findings are completed and considered.

Social Justice and Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville will visit an ‘ask and act’ pilot project in Edinburgh’s Wester Hailes today. Crisis, which is a partner in the project, has also published a report setting out what successful prevention looks like and how to get there.

Ms Somerville said: “Preventing homelessness before it happens is one of the most important steps we can take to improve people’s lives.

“The work being carried out through these pilots is helping us understand how services can work together to identify risk earlier, intervene sooner and provide the support people need to stay in their homes and that is why I am pleased to confirm funding to extend them until March.

“This extension will ensure that valuable learning continues, that specialist expertise is retained, and that partners are supported as we prepare for the implementation of Scotland’s new homelessness prevention duties.

“Our aim is clear: to shift from managing homelessness crises to preventing them in the first place. We are investing more than £213 million this year – partly through the local government settlement – on homelessness measures aimed at delivering better outcomes for individuals, families and communities across Scotland.

“We have a shared ambition with Crisis to end homelessness, it is helpful to see the Changing Course report it has published today, which estimates the costs and the benefits of our new homelessness prevention duties.”

Maeve McGoldrick, Head of Policy at Crisis Scotland said: “Crisis Scotland genuinely welcomes today’s announcement as a strong message that preventing homelessness is a top priority for government.

“The prevention pilots show what is possible when services step in early, and from our frontline experience in Wester Hailes we have seen people keep their home when they would otherwise have been pushed towards homelessness.

“Extending the funding for the next few months provides much needed continuity to all services involved in this innovative work. Importantly, it also allows time to plan for the important next stage: scaling up the learning and best practice across Scotland, in time for national commencement in 2028.”

Scottish charity Right There has welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitment to extend funding for homelessness prevention pilots but highlights that early intervention and prevention must become the norm when dealing with homelessness. 

Janet Haugh, CEO of Right There said: “Today’s funding announcement is a very positive signal that the Scottish Government is taking prevention seriously when it comes to homelessness, and while we support any measure to address homelessness in a preventative manner we know that housing is not the sole cause of the problem.

“We need to move towards a more holistic approach that addresses issues such as poverty, mental health, addiction, and family breakdown which all contribute to people losing their homes, if we are serious about ending homelessness for good.”

The Scottish Government has today announced almost £1m to extend pilot projects to help organisations deliver ‘act and ask’ measures brought in under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2026 once the legislation is implemented. 

The measures will impose duties requiring public bodies to ask about a person’s housing situation with the aim of being able to take action before homelessness occurs. 

Janet Haugh added: “As a nation we are very good at dealing with crises but not so good at putting measures in place to prevent them in the first place.

“We welcome the extension to fund ‘ask and act’ pilots and we hope this will be part of a long term preventative strategy which will address the root causes of homelessness and signal a move away from jumping from one crisis to the next.” 

Ask and act measures are expected to commence nationally in 2028. 

the-homelessness-monitor-scotland-2026Download

Burnham confident every rough sleeper will have route off the street by Christmas as funding doubles

  • Prime Minister sets out confidence that everyone sleeping rough will be offered route off the street before Christmas, backed by a further £432 million to sustain support beyond this winter
  • New funding to be outlined funding to be confirmed at the Budget on Wednesday, taking total investment behind the Prime Minister’s commitment to £874 million 
  • First-ever Rough Sleeping Summit at Downing Street brings together businesses, charities and local leaders to mobilise action, with major organisations pledging homes, jobs and practical support 

The Prime Minister yesterday set out his confidence that everyone sleeping rough will be offered a route off the street or wider support before Christmas, as he announced a further £432 million to help deliver the ambition and sustain support for years to come. 

The additional funding, to be set out at the Budget later this week, reflects the Prime Minister’s determination to make tackling rough sleeping a national priority. It will extend support beyond March 2027 and through to the end of this Parliament, taking total investment behind his commitment to £874 million. 

It marks the next stage of the pledge the Prime Minister made on his first day in Downing Street: to stop accepting rough sleeping as a fact of life and unite the country behind a mission to end it. 

Urgent action is already under way, with specialist outreach teams and new bedspaces operating in Coventry, and further provision being rolled out in places including Plymouth and Camden over the coming weeks. Backed by the initial £442 million, the programme is focused on ensuring everyone who needs it is offered a route off the streets before Christmas. 

Yesterday’s additional investment will ensure that support does not end when winter does, providing continuity for frontline services and helping people move into settled accommodation and rebuild their lives. 

But government cannot end rough sleeping alone. That is why the Prime Minister hosted the first-ever Rough Sleeping Summit at Downing Street, bringing together businesses, charities, housing providers and local leaders to mobilise the resources, expertise and commitment needed to deliver lasting change. 

Organisations attending the summit are making significant new commitments.

The National Housing Federation will work with housing associations to identify at least 2,000 potential homes and bedspaces, including empty properties that could be brought back into use. Virgin Media O2 will provide practical digital support to frontline organisations, while L’Oréal Group will launch a pioneering Social Salon partnership with St Mungo’s and Haircuts4Homeless. 

Together, these commitments will help people access not just a safe place to stay, but the homes, employment opportunities and support they need to build a more secure future. 

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:  “Rough sleeping isn’t a fact of life. It’s a thing governments either choose to accept or don’t.  

“Well I don’t accept it. That’s why we’re doubling funding so that people aren’t just offered a safe route off the streets this winter but have that same support right through the rest of this Parliament too.   

“But we can’t do it alone. If we’re going to end rough sleeping, we need every part of society behind us on this. So today we’re bringing together businesses, charities and local leaders in Downing Street to make sure this is a solution that lasts.”  

Secretary of State for Housing Angela Rayner said: “This is a big ambition – we know that. But we will not back down from making sure everyone has the offer of a route off the streets this Christmas.

“This summit is about bringing every part of society together behind that mission. Ending homelessness is not only a moral imperative – it will make our communities and our country better off.”  

“The first step is giving people a roof over their head and freedom from the nightly struggle to find somewhere safe to sleep. But Christmas is only the beginning and that’s why we will keep working together to tackle the root causes of homelessness and end rough sleeping for good.”  

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey said: “No one should ever have to sleep rough, which is why we are doubling our investment to more people and providing a chance to break the cycle and end sleeping on the streets of our country – not just this Christmas, but for the years to come.”  

Monday’s Summit brought organisations from across society together to play their part, with new pledges including:  

  • National Housing Federation working with housing associations to identify at least 2000 potential homes and bedspaces, including empty homes for people moving off the streets, working closely with local authorities.  
  • Social Bite forming a new partnership with the government to expand its modular supported accommodation model, combining a settled home with intensive and community-based support.   
  • Salvation Army working with their housing association Salvation Army Homes and public-sector partners to develop social housing, modular accommodation and move-on options, including provision for people with complex needs for whom mainstream accommodation may not be suitable.  
  • UnLtd / Key Fund partnering with government to help social ventures create sustainable jobs for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.  
  • Virgin Media O2 providing new support around devices, data and connectivity, in partnership with charity Refuge, helping women and their children affected by domestic abuse and experiencing homelessness stay connected to services and support.  
  • IKEA combining direct funding, advocacy, employment programmes, community partnerships, and customer and public awareness-raising campaigns to tackle both the immediate impacts and underlying causes of homelessness.  
  • L’Oreal Group launching an innovative ‘Social Salon’ partnership in the UK with St Mungo’s andHaircuts4Homeless, supporting rough sleepers with wellbeing provision.  
  • Morrisons Foundation pledging to launch the Good Food Fund, providing £500,000 in grants to support communities to tackle food insecurity where it hits hardest, including supporting charities providing relief to people who are sleeping rough or at risk of homelessness, in support of the Prime Minister’s drive.   
  • ReGenerate launching a partnership with Liverpool City Region, in coordination with the Liverpool Mayor’s new Homelessness Taskforce, to find ways in which businesses can do even more to tackle homelessness such as through driving pathways into employment across the region  
  • Comic Relief committing further resources to tackle homelessness and housing insecurity, helping to raise public support and awareness in 2027.  
  • Landsec offering access to its screens at Piccadilly and others across its retail portfolio to amplify homelessness charities and causes nationwide.   
  • The Faith and Homelessness Collective, mobilising action across a group of 100+ church leaders and leaders of faith-inspired homelessness and housing organisations to support the PM’s instruction to offer everyone a route off the streets this winter and prevention in the long-term.  
  • Over 30 organisations and investors from the impact economy – representing billions of pounds – signalling support to the PM’s drive and working with Government to bring more investment into move-on homes, support the organisations that help people stay housed, open up jobs and training, and put more money into prevention.  
  • A coalition of philanthropic funders signalling their commitment to millions of pounds of investment into preventing homelessness, including a £10 million commitment from Julia Rausing Trust, and Henry Smith Foundation providing £500,000 of match funding with Birmingham City Council, to support Greater Change in providing relational support to rough sleepers in the city.  

Reaction to latest homelessness figures

COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, Cllr Maureen Chalmers, responded to the Scottish Government’s Homelessness Figures. She said: “Today’s published homelessness figures are disappointing and underline the scale of the housing challenges facing local communities across the country.

“While there are some slight improvements in some measures, too many individuals and families continue to experience homelessness.

“Councils are working tirelessly to prevent homelessness and support those in need, but housing demand continues to outstrip supply in many areas.  

“Tackling this challenge requires sustained investment in affordable housing, a strong focus on prevention, and close partnership working across national and local government.

“Everyone deserves access to a safe, secure and affordable home, and councils remains committed to working with partners to make that ambition a reality.”

The number of children waking up without a home in Scotland has reached another record high and more than doubling in the last 10 years, new Scottish Government statistics show.

10,715 children are currently trapped in temporary accommodation, compared to 5,223 in 2015. People are waiting in temporary accommodation for years for a home and more people are sleeping rough. Instances of local authority homelessness services unlawfully breaching people’s housing rights have also significantly increased, up 32% to 21,800 since last year.

The figures show the sheer scale of Scotland’s broken housing system – the result of decades of underinvestment and the failure to build enough social homes, says Shelter Scotland.

The leading housing and homelessness charity says that the situation can be turned around, but only if building more social homes becomes a national mission supported by an exceptional level of funding. Areas that need it most like Glasgow must receive national investment from Scottish and UK Governments.

This new data comes after the First Minister promised to end the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation for children in the recent Programme for Government. The test now is whether real change will be felt by the thousands of families and children without a home.

Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, Interim Director at Shelter Scotland said: “Scotland’s housing emergency has been decades in the making. Children are growing up in harmful conditions and families don’t know how long they will be stuck in limbo.

“Local authorities are under extreme pressure and are unlawfully turning people away who have a right to housing. That pressure is resulting in housing being weaponised with calls to roll back rights. It is utterly unacceptable.

“We know why it has happened- because we have failed to build enough social homes. The First Minister’s recent pledge to stop children being placed in harmful temporary accommodation is very welcome, showing he has listened to the demands of families. But we won’t celebrate just yet – promises mean nothing without action.

“The situation in Glasgow needs a national response. It needs investment from the Scottish and UK Governments until the asylum backlog declines and we must see the delivery of homes quicker to lift people – especially children – out of temporary accommodation.

“The good news is we know how to end the housing emergency and so do the Government. We need committed investment to deliver the social homes desperately and urgently needed. If the Government focuses More Homes Scotland on social housing, there’s a massive opportunity to change the trajectory.

“Families can’t wait any longer. It’s time to turn the tide and follow through with action, so we don’t allow more children to face the same fate for the next decade.”

Janet Haugh, CEO of Right There, said: “These figures should shock us all. More than 10,700 children are now growing up in temporary accommodation across Scotland, while rough sleeping continues to rise.

“Scotland cannot keep describing this as a housing emergency without responding like it is one.

“We need action, not platitudes. Prevention, affordable housing and early support must move from ambition to action.”

Scottish charity finds new way to tackle counselling access gap

A Scottish charity is using a new delivery model to tackle shortages in access to therapeutic support.

Right There, which works across Scotland to prevent homelessness and support families, has widened its existing counselling provision to help more people access support earlier, before issues reach crisis point.

The approach uses a supervised placement model, with counselling delivered by postgraduate counselling students – initially from the University of Strathclyde, Queen Margaret College, Grounded Learning, and the Centre of Therapy – who are closely supported by an experienced Supervising Counsellor.

The announcement was made to help Right There to mark National Mental Health Awareness Week, 11th to 17th May. 

The expanded service builds on Right There’s established counselling work, including its long running service in Orkney, and will offer young people and adults the option of in-person support delivered at hubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh, or online sessions for people in other parts of the country. 

One young woman who accessed counselling through Right There’s service in Orkney, said: “Right There Counselling was the helping hand I needed to pull myself through some immensely difficult situations in my life.

“Having that support a message away, knowing I could talk unfiltered and receive not only strong in-person advice and support, but referrals to practical help for my situation.

“All this really gave me the leg up I needed to rebuild a new safer life for myself, as my true self, when I had few places to turn. This is an invaluable service for young people.”

The counselling service offers a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space for young people and adults to talk openly about what is affecting their lives and their mental health. Counselling helps to reduce isolation and prevents symptoms from worsening during lengthy waiting times.

Elvira Kesoglou, Supervising Counsellor at Right There, said: “We know that demand for counselling support has grown significantly across the country, but access has not kept pace.

“For some years now we have been funding a popular counselling service to people accessing our programmes in Orkney, but we are desperate to expand our care out to the rest of Scotland. 

“This new model allows us to widen that access safely and affordably, while maintaining the quality, supervision and person-centred care that people deserve. It also helps us support the next generation of counsellors in a structured and ethical way.”

The initial service will only be available for people referred through Right There’s programmes. The charity plans to continue developing the service over the coming year, with scope to introduce additional therapeutic approaches as capacity grows.

Scottish Government publishes Housing Emergency Action Plan

PLAN TO END CHLDREN LIVING IN UNSUITABLE ACCOMMODATION, SUPPORT VULNERABLE GROUPS AND BOOST INVESTMENT

Cabinet Secretary for Housing Màiri McAllan has published the Housing Emergency Action Plan to tackle the housing crisis.

The plan focuses on three key areas – ending children living in unsuitable accommodation, supporting the housing needs of vulnerable groups and supporting growth and investment in the housing sector.

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, the Housing Secretary set out a number of key commitments, including:

  • A new commitment to invest up to £4.9 billion over the next four years, delivering around 36,000 affordable homes by 2029-30 and providing a home for up to 24,000 children.
  • Doubling investment in acquisitions this year to £80 million, which will help take between 600-800 children out of temporary accommodation.
  • Implement Awaab’s Law from March 2026, starting with damp and mould, subject to parliamentary approval, to ensure landlords promptly address issues hazardous to tenants.
  • A new £1 million national ‘fund to leave’ to provide financial support for up to 1,200 women and their children to leave an abusive partner.
  • Unlocking land for housing in rural areas by working with the Scottish National Investment Bank, landowners and public bodies
  • A new Ministerial direction to planning authorities.

Ms McAllan said: “Tackling the housing emergency will be a cornerstone in our efforts to achieve the Scottish Government’s key priority of eradicating child poverty. I am determined this action plan will deliver positive and lasting change.

“At the heart of my mission is ensuring children are not spending time in unsuitable accommodation or long periods in temporary accommodation; that the housing needs of vulnerable communities are met and that we create the optimum conditions for confidence and investment in Scotland’s housing sector.

“Our efforts so far since declaring a housing emergency have seen 2,700 families with children into a permanent home, up to December 2024. Our action plan will see tens of thousands more families have a place they can call home.

“Since I took up the role of Cabinet Secretary I have listened to calls from the sector for multi-year funding to give housebuilders more long-term certainty.

“Today I have committed to investing up to £4.9 billion in affordable homes over the next four years. This long-term certainty and increase in funding will support delivery of around 36,000 affordable homes and provide up to 24,000 children with a warm, safe home.

“We cannot tackle this emergency alone though and I need everyone from across the private and public sector to pull together and deliver this plan to ensure everyone in Scotland has access to a safe, warm and affordable home.”

Crisis Scotland’s Head of Policy and Communications Maeve McGoldrick said: “We welcome today’s announcement. Homelessness is the most acute form of poverty, and we see the damage it does through our frontline services every day.

“Investment in new housing will help prevent more people being forced from their homes, while the expansion of Housing First will provide a vital route out of homelessness for people who have been let down by services for too long.

“We can’t allow more people to be trapped in the limbo of the homelessness system– we need to act now to help build a Scotland where everyone has a safe, secure place to call home.”

Scottish Women’s Aid CEO Dr Marsha Scott said: “Scottish Women’s Aid warmly welcomes announcement of a roll-out of the original Fund to Leave pilots to the rest of Scotland.

“Every day we and our local Women’s Aid services see women and children struggling to get free of an abuser.  The Fund to Leave offers a critical helping hand when women and children need it most. 

‘Leaving’ is difficult and dangerous, and the Fund to Leave is such an important step to making leaving and staying free from an abuser a reality across Scotland.” 

Right There works to prevent people becoming homeless and separated from their loved ones, and believes everyone deserves a safe place to call home.

Commenting on the plan, CEO, Janet Haugh said: “Scotland is in the midst of a national housing emergency which needs ambitious and robust action to reverse it.

“We are encouraged that today’s plan recognises the crisis our country is in, with over 53,000 people currently without a home, and over 10,000 children living in temporary accommodation.

“We welcome the focus on ending children’s time in unsuitable or temporary accommodation. Every child deserves a safe, stable place to call home – it is the foundation of wellbeing, learning and hope for the future.

“We know that a house alone is not enough. The right support around people – whether they are rebuilding after domestic abuse, facing poverty, or at risk of homelessness – is vital to turn housing into a home.

“We see every day the pressure on families and individuals waiting far too long in temporary accommodation. While progress is welcome, the reality is that thousands still need urgent solutions.

“We stand ready to play our part. Local organisations like Right There can be powerful delivery partners, bringing together housing, support and community. Sustainable investment and genuine collaboration will be critical.

“Housing is about more than bricks and mortar. It’s about fairness, dignity, and giving people the chance to thrive. The Housing Emergency Action Plan will only succeed if it holds true to those values.”

Tackling Scotland’s Housing Emergency – gov.scot

Tomorrow: Housing Drop-In at Royston Wardieburn

WEDNESDAY 28 MAY from 10am – 12 noon at ROYSTON WARDIEBURN COMMUNITY CENTRE

Housing information drop in this Wednesday at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre from 10am-12noon ☺️

Staff/advisors are coming from:

City of Edinburgh Council Housing

LIFT

Granton Information Centre

Changeworks

RIGHT THERE

Grab a cuppa and get some advice!

Right There charity to pull out of Edinburgh housing programme

Council refuses to pass on uplift in Housing Benefit to charity housing provider as Scottish Government declares a housing emergency

Right There, a charity which helps prevent homelessness, has been forced to end its contract with City of Edinburgh Council, to provide critical housing in three locations for some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. 

The charity, which was formerly called Ypeople, says this is its ‘absolute worst case scenario’, and ‘a last resort’ but after months of trying to negotiate with the Council, housing bosses are refusing to pass on its uplift in housing benefit to increase the Housing Management Payment.

The Housing Management Payment has remained unchanged since 2019 despite the cost of living skyrocketing in that time. Over the last five years, the local authority has received increased housing benefit which it refuses to pass on to providers to help deal with increased costs of running an assisted housing programme.

The housing facilities facing closure are one in Broomhouse and two residential units in Pilton. Their closure comes after the local authority failed to engage with the charity on contractual terms over recent weeks.

It will build pressure on the Council’s administration after a housing emergency was declared in the capital in November of last year, now even more so with the Scottish Government expected to announce a national housing emergency later today.  

Janet Haugh, CEO of Right There said: “We are devastated that we are having to pull the plug on this service, this is our absolute worst case scenario, especially when Scotland is at the brink of a national housing crisis.

“We have done everything in our power to resolve this with the Council but sadly as a charity we simply cannot absorb a projected £2.5 million deficit over the next five years and continue running this service.”

Housing Benefit levels have increased across Scotland to reflect the increased cost of living, utilities and general inflationary increases. Despite that, the Council expects Right There to subsidise the cost of an essential service despite being in receipt of additional payments to which the residents are entitled.

The project run by Right There provides accommodation support for 44 of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable people, who live with the consequences of family breakdowns, homelessness, poverty, addiction, and many other challenges. In addition, the jobs of 19 support workers are now at risk. 

Janet Haugh added: “We have exhausted all avenues with the Council and bringing the contract to a conclusion by triggering the three months’ notice period is our last resort.

“Our priority now is to work with the Council to hand over the running of the programme to either the local authority or another provider to ensure as much continuity and as little distress as possible for the 44 residents affected, and the support workers whose jobs are at risk.”