Ending homelessness action plan: annual report

Concluding comments

The Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan set out a clear, ambitious programme of change to deliver on our shared commitment to end homelessness. By acting in 2019 on the 70 recommendations made by the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group we are beginning to make our vision a reality. Partners across local and national government and delivery partners have begun to bring about lasting change and improvement for people facing, or at risk of, homelessness.

While this transformation will take time, and several important levers including welfare reform and immigration remain reserved, this Annual Report demonstrates the significant progress we have already made and the considerable momentum behind our work to end homelessness. Our partners in housing and the wider third and public sector are key to maintaining this momentum as we continue to drive forward the Action Plan commitments in 2020 and beyond. 

Our focus remains on keeping people at the heart of our work and we will continue to prioritise preventing homelessness whenever we can and getting people back into a settled home, with support as needed, as quickly as possible. We will continue to report annually on our progress and the next annual report will be published early in 2021.

"The Scottish Government has taken a bold position on ending homelessness, and has demonstrated in the first year of the Ending Homelessness Together plan that it is determined to tackle and end homelessness by supporting people and by preventing homelessness. It is clearly following through on the commitments it made when the HARSAG was created.

There is no time to waste. Ending homelessness is urgent. It has a devastating impact on individuals and families, and is costly to society as a whole. It is not inevitable, but it is going to take a concerted and lasting effort by the Scottish Government and many, many partner organisations to end it once and for all. We look forward to seeing urgent progress in the second year of the plan and beyond.

Jon Sparkes, Crisis
Chair of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group (HARSAG) from October 2017 to July 2018"