A report highlighting the importance of easy access to homelessness services information for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness has been published by the Scottish Housing Regulator.

The publication follows the Regulator’s National Panel report which highlighted the importance of clear information about what people can expect about the homelessness process.

The report is a summary of work carried out by the Regulator’s Tenant Advisors to test how easy it is to find information about homelessness services on council websites.

The tenant advisors examined all 32 council websites. They looked at how accessible information was, the range of information available, and how effectively councils let people know how to access homelessness services.

They found that most councils provide easy access to information about homelessness services. All 32 had information available on their website and most make it easy to find out how to access the service in and outside of office hours.

Christine Macleod, director of governance and performance, said: “It’s important that people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can find the information they need quickly and easily and websites are one of the ways to do this. So, it’s positive that our Tenant Advisors found that most councils offer easy to find information and helpful advice about homelessness services.

“It’s also good to see that most councils offer options such as drop in services and appointments. While the results are positive, our Tenant Advisors also found that some councils could do more to improve the range of information they make available on their websites.”

The Regulator’s report sets out recommendations for councils to consider when improving the information they make available for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.