A partnership programme to help prevent people from becoming
homeless has been launched by the Social Justice Secretary . This is in
addition to the £4 million investment in homelessness prevention
pilots in 2025-26 highlighted by the First Minister in the
Programme for Government.
The £1 million Upstream Homelessness Prevention Fund will bring
together Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), third sector
organisations, community groups and other local partners to
expand on existing successful approaches to preventing
homelessness and explore innovative ways to sustain tenancies.
Partnerships funded by the programme will receive a cash fund for
individual payments of up to £1,300 to help prevent people
becoming homeless. The year long programme will also help to
inform how RSLs will carry out the new Ask and Act prevention
duties outlined in the Housing Bill currently progressing through
Parliament.
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Homeless
Network Scotland will administer the Scottish Government funded
scheme which is open for applications.
Ms Somerville said:
“The aim of the fund is to break the cycle of repeat homelessness
by providing targeted joined-up support for people struggling to
pay their rent while also having to navigate housing, health and
social care services.
“This early intervention approach will help to minimise evictions
by upstream prevention activity and identifying opportunities to
build up support systems where they are needed. This will help
people to keep their tenancies and prevent them from becoming
homeless.
“The scheme will also provide valuable feedback for the wider RSL
network and provide examples of service design and delivery that
can be replicated in other places and contexts.”
Scottish Federation of Housing Associations Chief Executive Sally
Thomas said:
"We are delighted to administer this important funding, which
will complement the significant efforts housing associations make
to help people remain in their homes. This could include
providing direct cash interventions to those facing financial
difficulties, or forming local partnerships to make use of shared
spaces and staff to create joined-up approaches to homelessness
prevention.
“Beyond the funding, this programme will also provide vital
insights on the support needed to help people at risk of
homelessness and inform future approaches to partnership working
to deliver the Ask and Act duty.”
Homeless Network Scotland Chief Executive Maggie Brunjes said:
“Housing associations and third sector organisations are ideally
positioned to prevent homelessness by delivering early,
community-focused interventions. This Scottish Government funding
will support local partnerships, enabling tailored solutions that
tackle material hardship and leverage community resources to help
people remain in their homes.
