THE Scottish Government has begun its rollout of a £50 million fund to prevent homelessness.
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth said that preventing homelessness is the “most effective” way to tackle the problem “for good”, ahead of a visit to Toryglen in Glasgow on Monday, where she launched the funding.
For the second year, the Scottish Government is making £1m available to social landlords and third sector organisations to help support tenants to stay in their homes.
The money forms part of an expanded 10-year £50m Homelessness Prevention Fund.
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) and Homeless Network Scotland are administering the second phase of the Upstream Homelessness Prevention Fund, which will provide help for people in Glasgow struggling with rent arrears, as well as other initiatives to prevent people becoming homeless
Jenny Gilruth announced the cash ahead of a visit to Sanctuary Housing Association’s offices in the Toryglen area of Glasgow on Monday.
It comes 50 days after the Holyrood elections saw John Swinney’s SNP returned to power.
The Deputy First Minister said: “Preventing homelessness is not just the right thing to do – it is the most effective way to end it for good.
“For too long, the system has been geared towards responding to crisis rather than stopping it happen.
“So in our first 100 days in government, we are rolling out funding which will help to change that.
“This fund will help build up capacity of communities and public services to act earlier, supporting people before situations become critical and embedding prevention across organisations that interact with those at risk.”
Gilruth stated: “Homelessness is devastating, but we know that most of it is preventable. That is why sustained, long-term investment in prevention is central to everything we are doing.”
The money comes on top of £9m already invested to mitigate the impact of the UK Government’s decision to freeze Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates for 2026-27 – which determine how much support is given to private renters on benefits.
It comes as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to spend £50m on homelessness prevention over the next decade.
SFHA director of external affairs Paul Bradley said the Upstream Homelessness Prevention Fund has “had a transformative impact in preventing homelessness for hundreds of people across Scotland, so we wholly welcome its extension”.
He stated: “This funding is further proof that prevention works, and that housing associations, working alongside government and partners, can reach tenants long before a crisis.
“The greatest way to tackle homelessness is to prevent it in the first place.
“Prevention funding running alongside a strong supply of safe, warm, and affordable homes gives Scotland the best chance of a true step-change so no one has to face losing their home.”
Meanwhile, Maggie Brunjes, the chief executive of the Homeless Network Scotland said: “Preventing homelessness starts where people live.
“This second round of the Upstream Prevention Fund is a vital investment in Glasgow.
“Housing associations are ideally placed to prevent homelessness through their strong community roots and close partnerships with local charities.
“Homelessness charities play a key strategic role too, bringing deep knowledge of the issues people face and how to tackle them early.
“Working with SFHA and local partners, we will build on the success of the first round to help more households stay in their homes and make prevention and joined-up support a real priority across the city.”
