Low-income families will be protected against homelessness with
a £1.5 million fund, the Scottish government has announced.
The Homelessness Prevention Fund will support housing
associations and social landlords to work with their tenants to
prevent crisis, and stop families from becoming homeless.
A commitment of Programme for Government, the money will support
families through accessible financial advice to reduce household
costs, employment support, and in emergency situations, can also
be paid directly to families.
Making the announcement on Scottish Housing Day, Housing Minister
said:
“We want to eradicate homelessness for good and we recognise the
important role of social landlords in helping us achieve this,
especially through the preventative measures this fund can help
with.
“Housing associations offer so much more than places for people
to live – they support tenants through a range of services from
financial and employment advice to linking up with health and
social care.
“This fund is an important step forward in joining up services
and making sure that everyone in Scotland has a safe, warm place
to call home.”
Sally Thomas, Scottish Federation Housing Associations CEO said:
“The Programme for Government provided a number of measures to
help our sector continue its work to provide great homes in great
places to live.
“We welcome the new £1.5 million Homelessness Prevention Fund for
social landlords to assist low-income families and look forward
to exploring with the government and members the scope of the
Fund.”
Background
The Homelessness Prevention Fund will provide a range of support
for low-income families who may also access support from other
new funding, including:
- an additional £4 million for initiatives to enhance family
incomes by improving access to work and work progression
- £500,000 for a new Family Learning Scotland Programme to help
parents gain new skills through learning and training
- £1 million to build on good practice and help improve the
life chances of young parents and their children
Scottish
Housing Day is a national celebration of the positive
impact that good quality housing makes to the lives of people and
communities, and aims to highlight the housing options that are
available.
