Scotland is in the midst of a housing emergency. The number of people presenting as homeless is going up – 40,688 in Scotland in 2023/24. And on top of that, the amount of time those people are spending in temporary accommodation is increasing – an average of 238 days.

More social housing is desperately needed – however to solely focus on housing would be ignoring the health, social and financial factors that are driving people into homelessness, and then exacerbated by that experience. 51% of the households made homeless last year had either one or more support need, including problems with mental and physical health, and addiction. Much more social housing is needed but Scotland cannot simply build its way out of homelessness.

This manifesto outlines practical solutions to this problem, exemplifying a ‘public health approach to homelessness prevention’ which focuses on data driven, collaborative interventions that addresses the ‘social determinants’ that leads to homelessness.

In summary, Cyrenians is asking the next Scottish Government to:

• Build a fuller, more accurate picture of homelessness in Scotland by improving data collection methods.
• Collectively build a longer-term approach to the monitoring and evaluation of homelessness prevention that enhances the understanding of its contribution and efficacy.
• Set up a ‘Prevention and Early Intervention Fund’ which awards grants to services for a minimum of ten years.
• Dedicate a proportion of Scotland’s house building budget to community living and supported housing options tailored to the needs of those most vulnerable to homelessness.

These asks are drawn from Cyrenians own experiences running homeless prevention services across the South East of Scotland – drawing on targeted participation work with staff, the people they work with and in collaboration with Public Health Scotland.

Ewan Aitken, chief executive of Cyrenians, said: “Scotland needs more social housing, but it cannot be the only solution.

“We also need a better understanding of the problems that push a person into homelessness, more support available for them before they get to that point and the right kind of housing for those who need more than just a tenancy. We cannot build our way out of homelessness.

“It is vital that our next Government invests in a public health approach so we can get closer to ending homelessness in Scotland for good.”