Ending homelessness together: annual report 2022

List of actions 2022

Theme

Embed a person-centred approach

Action

1. Develop the evidence base on homelessness and review the homelessness data collection

2. Apply a gendered analysis to our actions and conduct equality impact assessments, ensuring the homelessness system meets the needs of diverse groups of women, including the needs of mothers and children

3. Ensure homelessness services are grounded in no wrong door and person-centred principles and make homelessness assessments more flexible

4. Support people to access digital equipment, data and training

5. Raise public awareness of homelessness and challenge stigma

Theme

Prevent homelessness from happening in the first place

Actions

6. Increase focus on tenancy sustainment and establish mechanisms to avoid evictions into homelessness

7. Consider more streamlined application processes for discretionary housing payments and use information sharing powers to target people who are most in need of discretionary housing payments

8. Understand the impact of UK welfare reforms

9. Improve affordability in the private rented sector

10. Support the First-tier Tribunal to improve transparency around outcomes for tenants through better use of data

11. Develop, implement and review prevention pathways for groups at particular risk, including for women experiencing domestic abuse

Theme

Prioritise settled homes for all

Action

12. Take forward work on the right to adequate housing

13. Complete the delivery of 50,000 affordable homes

14. Encourage the housing sector to bring more empty homes back into use and support local authorities to develop their empty homes services and private rented sector access schemes

15. Roll out Housing First in Scotland

16. Develop best practice examples of choice in settled housing and assess impacts of providing wide range of housing options in local areas

17. Set out our position on a temporary accommodation funding framework

Theme

Respond quickly and effectively whenever homelessness happens

Action

18. Support local authorities and health and social care partners with their efforts to provide support and accommodation for all those currently in bed and breakfast accommodation

19. Support local winter planning, including efforts by partners to end the use of night shelter and dormitory-style provision

20. Develop a model of frontline outreach and support people engaged in street begging

21. Prevent homelessness for those with no recourse to public funds

22. Learn from recent initiatives and set out a broader range of accommodation options in crisis situations

23. Provide clarity on the changes to the Unsuitable Accommodation Order

24. Revise legislative arrangements for intentionality and local connection and amend intentionality definition to focus more closely on ‘deliberate manipulation’

25. Introduce temporary accommodation standards

Theme

Join up planning and resources to tackle homelessness

Action

26. Ensure next National Performance Framework review includes explicit consideration of homelessness

27. Improve how we use Public Health Scotland data and intelligence capabilities

28. Further improve drug and alcohol treatment and harm reduction services

29. Embed homelessness as a public health priority

30. Improve join up between health, social care, housing and homelessness planning

31. Ensure local authorities, housing providers and public bodies join up to prevent homelessness

32. Ensure the Hard Edges Scotland report continues to inform the response to severe and multiple disadvantage

33. Update code of guidance on homelessness and review need for a code of practice in code of guidance on homelessness

34. Join up housing, employment and employability support