Social care charity Turning Point Scotland and the local authority have been running workshops and training to “create a network which means vulnerable people don’t fall through the gaps”.

Organisations including Police Scotland, NHS addiction services and Fife Gingerbread, which helps lone parents and families in need, came together to share the best ways of tackling the problem.

More than 2,600 people, including 458 children, approached Fife Council for help after being declared homeless in 2025 and 2026.

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

The fund is being administered by charity Advice Direct Scotland, with organisations across the country testing new ‘ask and act’ measures to ask if a person is at risk of homelessness and then act to help.

Craig Tobin, head of impact at Advice Direct Scotland, said: “This is about organisations coming together to proactively try to stop homelessness across Scotland. There is a real determination to help people well before they are in crisis and facing living on the streets.

“This is all about helping create a network which means vulnerable people don’t fall through the gaps.”

The homelessness prevention summit was held in the historic ballroom of the Beveridge Park Hotel, Kirkcaldy.

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 means relevant bodies must ask people they support about their housing situation and take action to prevent homelessness.

Turning Point Scotland, Fife Support Services, Ask and Act lead Jacqui Treays, alongside Fife Council, Ask and Act lead Lesley Gill, have been providing support to the relevant organisations participating in the pilot.

Lesley said: “Homelessness prevention is everyone’s responsibility and this pilot has demonstrated the value of bringing organisations together to recognise housing issues at the earliest possible stage.

“By encouraging earlier conversations about housing and strengthening referral pathways between services, we can identify risks sooner and help people access support before they reach crisis.

“We are grateful to all our partner organisations for their commitment and willingness to test new approaches that will help shape future homelessness prevention practice.”

Jacqui said: “We have 15 partner organisations across Fife, signed up and committed to engaging with our pilot and the positive outcomes we hope it will achieve, not just for their organisations but for the people and families who could be at risk of housing crisis at some point in the future.

“We’ve had lots of networking, sharing of experiences and looking at the challenges of implementation and designing the way forward.

“It’s really exciting to be a part of this transformation in pursuit of preventing homelessness and working with such diverse group of partners and professionals, striving towards a common goal.”