Making best use of Scotlands Homelessness Framework

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Making best use of Scotlands Homelessness
Framework
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Change in culture

• Do you fit the criteria?
• A joined up response
• How can we help?

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Towards the New Culture

• Corporate Homelessness Strategy
• Regulation
• Holistic
• Prevention
• Sustainability

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A unique framework

• Homelessness strategies (local authorities) now
  incorporated in housing strategies
• Health and Homelessness Action Plans
• Health and Homelessness Standards
• All corporate responsibilities

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The changing political environment

• Concordat
• Fewer ring fenced funds for homelessness and
  housing support
• decluttering of landscape of providers of
  services
• Contract culture
• Equally well- no specific focus on homelessness
• But Health and Homelessness Standards remain

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Standard 2

• The Board takes an active role with relevant
  agencies to prevent and alleviate homelessness

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Standard 2

• More than simply housing and health
• Housing support
• Social care
• Social networks
• Training and employability
• General wellbeing

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Standard 5

• The Boards services respond positively to the
  health needs of homeless people

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Standard 5

• Service continuity joined up approach i.e. not
  only health services (temporary accommodation)
• Transition from specialist to mainstream services
• Ensuring relevant services available at the right
  time (e.g. detox)
• Training in mainstream services (e.g. GP
  receptionists)

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Prevention - the key

• Identifying those at risk
• Being effective at signposting
• Training 1st point of contact (health visitors?)
• Sharing appropriate information (data protection
  versus effective intervention)

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Some challenges

• Health and homelessness often viewed as a fringe
  issue
• Staff in some areas not supported well
• Keeping abreast of developments (e.g. substance
  misuse and homelessness research)
• Better networking at project level
• Better networking at policy planning level

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Making it a mainstream activity

• Link to other key objectives for example in
  Equally Well
• Integrate into other mainstream strategies
  rather than a stand alone issue
• If you get it right for homeless people, you get
  it right for a broad range of hard to reach groups