Ending homelessness and rough sleeping: action plan

5 We will end homelessness by joining up planning and resources

We must do more to ensure planning and resources are joined up around a person-centred approach, keeping the needs of the people the services are for at the forefront and talking more with each other about how to make this a reality.

The causes of homelessness can be complex and are often not the result of a single incident or event. 65% of applications cited a main reason for the application as well as additional reasons (22,646 out of 34,972 applications during 2017-18) (see Chart 6)^[18].

Forty-three per cent of those completing the question cited that their reason for homelessness was ‘not to do with the applicant household’. This includes reasons such as the landlord selling the property, fire, circumstances of other persons sharing the property or harassment by others.

Chart 6: Reason(s) for failing to maintain accommodation: Scotland

Enabling the shift to prevention, and supporting quick, effective responses to housing crises, will both be best served by planning and working together effectively, both across housing partners and the wider third and public sector responsible for supporting vulnerable people. We must move to a position where the support that we commission is flexible, working well across traditional boundaries to ensure support responds to changes in individual’s circumstances.

With an updated Code of Guidance and Code of Practice addendum to provide a clear framework to operate in, we must set out clear expectations for those working with people experiencing homelessness in terms of priorities, behaviours and outcomes.

The SHORE standards is an example of a powerful collaboration between the Scottish Prison Services and local authorities to develop joined up responses to solve homelessness which occurred when people are released from prison. These were published in November 2017 and local authorities and prisons are actively working to implement them in all areas. New partnerships are developing and people are recognising their shared role in preventing homelessness as well as how getting this right can contribute to reducing re-offending and results in benefits for Scottish society as a whole. It is still a work in progress and we recognise there is more to do to ensure implementation is effective everywhere, but it is right to shine a light on what can be achieved where services work together.

The Scottish Government’s Health and Homelessness in Scotland research,^[19] published on 19 June, brings into sharp relief what those working with people suffering from or at risk of homelessness have always known – that people’s health and homelessness outcomes are closely intertwined. The research highlights opportunities for preventing homelessness and more effective targeting of resources:

• Increased interactions with health services preceded people becoming homeless
• A peak in interactions with health services was seen around the time of the first homelessness assessment

It is clear that effective joint working at all levels from leaders and policy developers to service commissioners and front-line staff will be necessary to develop a coordinated web of support with the individual’s needs at the centre, based on the best available evidence of what works.

Meeting the needs of young people, including those with experience of the care system, is crucial. Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 was a game changer, but the true impact will be seen in implementation. The change needed is cultural and behavioural – young people have rights they did not have before but we need to do more to ensure they are always able to access them.

Actions we will take:

We will ensure local authorities, housing providers and public bodies work together to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping at every opportunity. As part of the development of the prevention duty (see above), we will work with expert practitioners, public bodies and housing providers to develop the ways in which they can support those they come into contact with at an early stage to prevent them becoming at risk of homelessness. Our work on public perceptions will seek to draw in those in public services other than housing to explain the range of issues that can contribute to homelessness and help staff see more easily how they can join the dots for people.

We will update the Code of Guidance. In 2019, following consultation and development with partners, we will publish a new, accurate and up-to-date version of the Code of Guidance reflecting current legislation and setting out a clear process for future updating of the Code. Future updates will follow in light of the significant wider changes set out in this five year plan, with the first update expected during 2021.

We will confirm the legislative options for possible development of a Code of Practice addendum for the Code of Guidance. We will commence engagement in 2019-2020 with stakeholders to design the content, delivery and enforcement that will best support our efforts to end homelessness and keep people at the centre of our action. We will confirm our planned approach to take this forwards by 2021.

We will embed homelessness as a priority for improving public health, with all areas of Government prioritising it as such. We will work in collaboration with health colleagues at all levels to realise the vision set out in the public health priorities, recognising that a safe, warm, settled home is crucial to securing good health outcomes and forming a strong foundation for families and communities to flourish.^[20]

We will improve the join up between local health, social care housing and homelessness planning. We recognise that Integration Authorities are responsible for planning, designing and commissioning health and social care services and supports for their local populations; and that housing services and tackling homelessness is an integral part of delivering personalised approaches and the wider delivery of health and social care integration. We will support closer join up in the planning and delivery of these services. Relevant aspects of local rapid rehousing transition plans, as part of the local housing strategies, should be considered and included in housing contribution statements as part of Integration Authorities strategic plans and we will seek other opportunities to develop and improve the approach to joint planning.

We will join up housing, employment and employability support. We will explore how Local Housing Strategies at a strategic level, and personal housing plans on a personal level, can address how employability, equalities and digital and financial inclusion support will be provided for people who are at risk of homelessness as part of the Housing Options service. We will also support Housing Options teams (including Housing Staff from both RSLs and Councils) to work collaboratively with local authority employability teams and wider partners so that employability, employment and housing support is provided in a joined-up way.

Other drivers of joint working

Ensuring an adequate supply of affordable housing on an ongoing basis will rely on securing good joint planning and collaborative thinking on resources. Particularly relevant during times of tightened resource across all parts of the public sector.

Our work to develop a new wide-ranging prevention duty will help drive better join-up in planning, resourcing and delivery.

Improving the quality and availability of evidence on homelessness, and then ensuring this evidence informs and drives policy and practice, will promote understanding among partner organisations of their vital role in tackling homelessness as well as the broader impact their contributions could have.

We know that achieving our ambitions to end homelessness and rough sleeping will contribute to achieving a number of the outcomes from the new National Performance Framework, highlighting the need for cross government action at national and local levels, and cross sector commitment to act:

• We respect, protect and fulfil human rights and live free from discrimination
• We tackle poverty by sharing opportunities, wealth and power more equally
• We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe
• We grow up loved, safe and respected so we can realise our full potential
• We are well educated, skilled and able to contributed to society

This will include ensuring that national data collections reflect the evidence requirements to underpin our plans to prevent, tackle and end homelessness. This can help plan what is needed in a strategic way as well as supporting delivery through tracking and better understanding of progress.

In addition to the development of a new national data collection, this links to work which will build the evidence base on the impact of new initiatives, including Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans, and legislative developments, including local connection. We will start taking this forwards in 2019, and develop over time as further changes are implemented.