Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment spoke about the importance of social networks saying:

 “We know the breakdown of relationships with family and friends can often lead to homelessness and helping people to re-build their social networks is vital to preventing this.

I am pleased that the Scottish Social Networks Co-ordinator, based at The Rock Trust, is making a valuable contribution in raising awareness of this and helping to share best practice in this area across Scotland.   It is also good news that the project has been helping to reinforce the importance of social networks to local authorities in their strategies to tackle and prevent homelessness”

Ministerial statement on abolition of priority need by 2012

The Homelessness Task Force final report recommended that “all projects serving homeless people should pursue strategies to promote and support opportunities for positive social interaction”. The report identified Mentoring, Befriending and Mediation as key measures in building and rebuilding social networks. The absence of this support framework is a major factor in resettlement breakdown.

The three main taskforce recommendations on social networks were:

“55) The strength of a homeless person’s social networks should be an integral part of the assessment of their needs and of the support offered to them in temporary accommodation and during permanent resettlement. All projects serving homeless people should pursue strategies to promote and support opportunities for positive social interaction.

56) A national coordination role should be created to build and coordinate local mediation, befriending and mentoring services for homeless people across Scotland. This role would also evaluate existing projects, disseminate good practice and facilitate information sharing.

57) Local authorities, through their homelessness strategies, should develop practical means of enabling people affected by homelessness to (re)build social networks. This may involve the use of new independent services or a review, with Social Inclusion Partnerships, of current practice.”


See full report “Helping Homeless People An Action Plan for Prevention and Effective Response The Homelessness Task Force Final Report” Scottish Executive 2001

For more information visit the Scottish Governement Homelessness website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/access/homeless or email the Homelessness Team at: homelessness@scotland.gov.uk

Preventing homelessness is a key priority of the Scottish Government/Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) 2012 Steering Group. The steering group held a joint seminar on homelessness prevention on June 15th 2010. The event focused on prevention activities, in particular promoting how adopting a housing options approach could better help local authorities prevent homelessness and meet the 2012 target.

At the event, stakeholders explored effective prevention work and in particular the housing options approach. The seminar also provided an opportunity to launch the Scottish Housing Options funding programme which will provide approximately £500,000 of 'enabling funding' over a 14-month period. This funding is to help local authorities to make the changes needed to move towards a more holistic housing options approach to homelessness prevention.

For more information on the Housing Options model to preventing homelessness go to:

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/access/homeless/HomelessnessPrevention

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/regeneration/pir/learningnetworks/HousingManagement/Publications/housingoptions

As part of the national homelessness prevention strategy, five housing option Hubs have now been established. These five regional, joint-working partnerships will take forward and encourage the development of the housing options approach to homeless prevention.  

The five Hubs are:

• Ayrshire & South
• Edinburgh, Lothians & Borders
• North & Islands
• Tayside, Fife & Central
• West
                                                                                                                                                                                               

Scottish Social Networks Forum & Local Government

Changes have recently been made to the Scottish Social Networks Forum – SSNF’s remit is to raise awareness of social networks and their impact on preventing homelessness or repeat homelessness.

Allison Calder is now the Forum Coordinator and, going forward, SSNF will focus its work on supporting the new Housing Options Hubs to implement social networks as part of their homelessness prevention strategy and policy, from assessment stage through to housing allocation and service provision. This will, in turn, be disseminated throughout Scotland. The Rock Trust is in a unique position to work with the Hubs as the SSNF is Government funded to support them.

Allison is currently in discussions with the Hubs as to what support they need from The Rock Trust. The support level will develop in response to the developing needs of the Hubs as they progress. At present, the sharing of good practices is the main focus.

Contact your local authority to find out more about their homelessness strategy.