Prioritise prevention, create as much housing capacity as we can now – and make a long-term commitment to increase the supply of homes for social rent.

This will need:

• To urgently target prevention activity where the greatest risk of homelessness is expected post-pandemic.
• To increase the supply of social homes for rent, focused on restarting the long term commitment to build new social housing targeted to areas of highest demand with properties of the size people need.
• A common framework for housing associations and local councils.
• Point-in-time and local audit of available housing options and support capacity.
• To bring forward ideas for national policy and incentives that create more capacity in social and private rented sector.
• Priority allocation of all available housing to people who are homeless.
• Respond to flat sharing and other preferred living arrangements that are more common among young people.

Permanently prevent a return to previous levels of rough sleeping in all areas.

This will need:

• Rapid learning from the urgency of the COVID-19 response and the experiences of people affected and involved.
• Cross-department priority at Scottish Government and a ‘lead professional’ to join-up local health and social care responses.
• Gradual step-down in use of hotels and short-term lets, with funding in place to enable a safe transition.
• Point-in-time and local audit of people in temporary and unsuitable places.
• More clarity on the exemptions of the extension to the Unsuitable Accommodation Order.
• Fast-track people to Housing First and other housing options, with 1:1 advocacy and based on a Personal Housing Plan.
• Prevent new cases of rough sleeping including among people with no recourse to public funds.

We want no evictions into homelessness, the end of avoidable evictions and the threat of illegal evictions.

This will need:

• Greater protections through the tribunal for tenants facing evictions initiated prior to the pandemic, and an extension of the tribunal’s emergency discretionary powers over eviction in social and private rentals from 6 months to 12 months.
• A proactive housing management approach focused on earlier intervention, with independent advice, information and advocacy for tenants.
• A stronger prevention focus to shift the emphasis so that landlords are required to prevent evictions where possible and build a case for eviction proceedings.
• An end to evictions into homelessness from asylum support accommodation.
• More partnership working with the private rented sector to help increase housing capacity.