Furniture for the homeless: A house without furniture is not a home

Ensuring homeless persons have adequate furniture is essential if they are to maintain their new tenancies and avoid repeat homelessness

This has been widely recognised in the past but there is a danger that financial pressures on councils will lead to cuts in this non statutory service

Furniture reuse projects have played an important role in supplying furniture to homeless persons in Scotland, but the removal of grant funding has left many of these projects dependent on sales to the general public and reduced the number of homeless persons they are able to help

There is a pressing need for more guidance and advice to councils by the Scottish Government and COSLA on best practice in this area

There is also a need for a more joined up approach between councils and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to ensure that DWP Community Care Grants are used to best effect.