15 pilot ‘Ask & Act’ homelessness prevention projects revealed

The initiative will channel vital support to people at risk, offering earlier interventions and practical help, with the aim of helping them remain in their homes.

A total of 15 projects across Scotland are sharing £4 million of Scottish Government funding, covering major cities, small towns, rural areas and islands.

The fund is being administered by the charity Advice Direct Scotland, with organisations across the country testing new ‘ask and act’ measures.

Under the Housing (Scotland) Act, which became law earlier this month, new duties will be placed on bodies such as NHS health boards, local authorities, Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service to take reasonable steps to prevent homelessness.

The pilots cover 16 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Fife, and Argyll and Bute, with the potential to spread wider.

More than 70 organisations are involved in the 15 pilots, which begin today and will be led by a combination of NHS health boards, local authorities, and charities.

The fund will support the projects to trial the new duties in real-world settings, so homelessness prevention can be embedded into everyday practice. They will explore how services can work together to identify people at risk earlier, such as those facing a relationship breakdown, leaving hospital, exiting prison, or struggling with debt.

The 15 pilot projects are:

1. ‘Hospital Homelessness Prevention Partnership’, led by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Delivered in Glasgow.
2. ‘Glasgow Youth Housing Protocol Pilot: Embedding Ask & Act to Prevent Youth Homelessness’, led by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership. Delivered in Glasgow.
3. ‘Ambulance clinicians – Ask and Act about risk of homelessness’, led by the Scottish Ambulance Service. Delivered in Edinburgh.
4. ‘System Wide Approach to Prevention – Ask and Act’, led by the City of Edinburgh Council. Delivered in Edinburgh.
5. ‘Purple Light – An Emergency Response for People at Risk of Homelessness’, led by Simon Community Scotland. Delivered in Edinburgh.
6. ‘Home from Prison’, led by Cyrenians. Delivered in Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian, West Lothian, Falkirk, Stirling, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.
7. ‘Ask & Act in Education: An Upstream Implementation Pilot’, led by the Rock Trust. Delivered in Edinburgh, West Lothian, Perth & Kinross and Fife.
8. ‘Integrated Prevention Pathways’, led by Aberdeen Cyrenians. Delivered in Aberdeen City.
9. ‘Embedding Ask and Act as part of Public Sector Reform’, led by Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership. Delivered in Renfrewshire.
10. ‘Early Doors’, led by the Community Housing Advocacy Project (CHAP). Delivered in North Ayrshire.
11. ‘Ask and Act Committed – Fife’, led by Turning Point Scotland. Delivered in Fife.
12. ‘NL REACH (North Lanarkshire Responsive, Empowering, Accessible, Community Hub)’, led by North Lanarkshire Council. Delivered in North Lanarkshire.
13. ‘Forth Valley Health ‘Ask and Act’ Homelessness Prevention Scoping and Measurement Group, app development and Hospital Link Work Model’, led by NHS Forth Valley. Delivered in Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling.
14. ‘Ask and Act: Early Intervention for Families at Risk of Homelessness’, led by East Ayrshire Council. Delivered in East Ayrshire.
15. ‘Home Secure Argyll: Prevention through Partnership’, led by Argyll and Bute Citizens Advice Bureau. Delivered in Argyll and Bute.

The pilots are due to run until the end of 2026, with the findings expected to shape future regulations and guidance that can be rolled out nationally.

Andrew Bartlett, chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland, said: “From our big cities to rural communities and the islands, these initiatives reflect the breadth of expertise and commitment needed to prevent homelessness. Some pilots are focused on specific places, while others cover services or entire council areas, and at least six are aiming for national impact.

“It’s been hugely rewarding for us to support this investment, and we look forward to hearing about the results of the pilot initiatives.

“What’s particularly encouraging is the level of leadership and commitment from both national bodies and grassroots organisations. This is about a shared mission across the country to reshape the way services tackle homelessness.

“It’s great to see Scotland’s biggest national organisations, especially those in health and social care, playing a strong role. With more than 70 organisations taking part, these pilots are the first step towards what we hope will be a transformational change on preventing homelessness.”

Housing secretary Màiri McAllan added: “I welcome the start of these homelessness prevention pilots across the country. Everyone should be able to live in a safe, warm home and the best way to end homelessness is to prevent it happening in the first place.

“That is why we included an additional £4 million in this year’s homelessness budget for these pilot projects.

“Preventing homelessness is at the heart of our recently passed Housing (Scotland) Act. These pilots will help test out the new ‘ask and act’ duties for certain public bodies before they come into force.”