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A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections. Shelter Scotland consultation response.

By: Shelter Scotland
Published: April 2018

A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections. Shelter Scotland consultation response

Housing issues can compound social isolation and loneliness. Homelessness in particular can have a huge impact – resulting in increased stress, and frequent moves which make it difficult to put down foundations in any one area. However, good housing can also help to build stability and social connections in a community, and it can provide a sense of safety and belonging.

As well as alleviating social isolation and poverty via assisting people with their housing, our advice and support services provide a vital linkage for people to other forms of social support, in some instances running befriending services and social groups, and our volunteering programme provides benefits to both our volunteers and those who we work with.

As such, Shelter Scotland welcomes the opportunity to respond to the consultation on a new social isolation and loneliness strategy. Our response below builds on our experience in all these areas, and sits alongside a response which is submitted separately presenting the views of some of the people we work alongside in a specific project, the Men’s Shed, in Renfrewshire. We have pulled some of the feedback from the event into this response including a variety of direct quotes from some of the Men’s Shed attendees.