Hannah Cridland to support Housing Options Scotland’s Coming Home agenda

Hannah Cridland

The appointment has been made possible through a grant award of £24,941 from the Scottish Government in recognition of the organisation’s work so far to support the Coming Home agenda and its developing role in working with health and social care leads.

The grant also provides for Housing Options Scotland to set up an advice line for Health and Social Care professionals to send any housing queries related to supporting Coming Home individuals.

In her role as Coming Home broker, Hannah will support individual members of the Coming Home cohort by identifying bespoke housing solutions on a 1-1 basis, as well as providing outreach, engagement and training with local authorities and health and social care partners to embed learning and understanding of Scotland’s complex housing landscape within national and local Coming Home strategies.

The grant award is part of the Scottish Government’s funding for the Coming Home initiative, which aims to support individuals with learning disabilities and complex care needs to live in their communities with the right support. The funding is part of a broader effort to reduce delayed discharges and inappropriate out-of-area placements for individuals set out in the Coming Home Action Plan.

Earlier this year, Housing Options Scotland CEO Moira Bayne chaired the Housing subgroup as part of the Coming Home Action Plan short life working group, and the organisation produced a practical housing options guide for Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs). The guide supports professionals to explore the full range of housing options - from social housing to private rentals, and ownership schemes - ensuring that no option is overlooked.

On her appointment and the work supporting Coming Home individuals, Hannah Cridland said: “I’m excited to be starting this role as part of Scotland’s Coming Home agenda, providing tailored support to individuals and people involved in their care to explore different housing options.”