The Housing Bill going before the Scottish Parliament in 2010 presents a perfect opportunity to clarify and strengthen the way support is provided to homeless households:

• Sometimes the provision of accommodation is not enough to make sure people can keep their home - they may require additional support to ensure they can sustain their home in the long term.
• Many local authorities already offer a wide range of effective housing support services to households but there are still cases where people do not receive the support they require to retain their home. The Housing Bill is therefore a chance to build on current best practice to provide a consistent level of support across Scotland.
• Support could be as simple as help applying for a community grant, providing budget advice or help with moving, while some people may require more specialist support such as counselling services. It may just be a case of councils acting as a gateway to services by linking up clients to existing support services in their local area.
• Shelter proposes that local authorities assess a household’s support needs at the time of a homelessness assessment, followed up by linking into appropriate services to meet any identified support needs. The provision of services could be by registered social landlords (RSLs), voluntary providers or other bodies.
• As well as having clear advantages for individuals, timely and appropriate support is key to preventing homelessness and tackling problems before they escalate to crisis level.
• Access to support is cost-effective. An analysis of a tenancy sustainment project in North Ayrshire found that for every £1 invested, there was a social return of investment of £8.38.
• The provision of support is also affordable within the current funding amounts already provided by the Scottish Government to councils for housing support for homeless people.

New legislative provisions are necessary to guarantee that all households who are in the most housing need receive the support they require to keep their homes. Although effective housing support already exists for some, greater emphasis is needed to ensure support is consistent and targeted. It is also necessary in order to progress and embed prevention work and reach the 2012 homelessness commitment.