You power so many services for people facing homelessness
We can do this because you care and continue to support the work we do. Because of you, we can:
Answer calls to our emergency helpline
Last year, we helped 7,207 households through our national emergency helpline, and there were 9,807 web chat conversations in Scotland.
Our team of housing experts are there to help people at imminent risk of homelessness. Our advisers help people understand their rights and find the best way forward. Every single conversation can be the difference between someone losing or keeping their home.
Help people talk to their local council
Going to the local council for help can be an overwhelming experience, and often cases are easily dismissed. Our advisers help people prepare to negotiate their housing issues, and ensure they receive the support they're entitled to.
We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients. When needed, we get in touch with the council on their behalf, but sometimes just saying they’ve been talking to our adviser ensures their case is dealt with.
Provide wide-ranging legal advice
Our team of solicitors have unrivalled expertise in housing law. We challenge landlords who unlawfully evict people or allow their properties to fall into a dangerous state of disrepair. We also help fight repossession and attend court to defend people at risk of losing their home.
Our legal team takes on strategic cases, too. Winning one case in court can change thousands of lives. Recently, we won a landmark case to highlight the discriminatory practice of letting agents and landlords refusing potential tenants because they’re on housing benefit. Learn about how we’re changing the law and what more you can do to end ‘NO DSS’.
Help people to find a safe and secure home
Our services help people find homes they can live in without fear of eviction. And we think it’s important that a home is a safe, comfortable place in which to live – which is why our furniture shops provide Homestarter Kits with white goods and furniture to families.
But finding a home can be a long journey. There are around 130,000 households on waiting lists for social housing in Scotland, and there aren’t enough social homes being built each year to meet housing need. We continue to lobby the government to make housing safe, available and affordable.
Help people find employment
Our Time for Change is a programme that helps people with lived experience of homelessness to get involved in local consultation work and events, and the design and delivery of local services. Participants can also apply to become our peer mentors, where they can gain valuable skills and use their experience to shape services for the better. Read more about how Time for Change is changing lives.
We give every person we work with the support that best suits their needs. Alongside trainee and mentorship programmes, we offer help with general life skills, such as CV workshops, interview practice, and budgeting, so they can find work and manage their tenancies independently.
You make sure no one has to face homelessness and bad housing on their own. You’re brilliant – thank you.
