Today (Tuesday 8 October) the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, Kevin Stewart MSP, announced the Government’s commitment to develop a legal duty for local authorities to prevent homelessness, creating a working group to develop recommendations around this duty.

The expert working group will be chaired by I-SPHERE Director Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick.  It will be supported by Crisis and include experts from homelessness organisations and local authorities. The group will develop recommendations for a legal duty on local authorities and other public bodies across Scotland to prevent homelessness for people at immediate risk.

In response, Jon Sparkes, Crisis Chief Executive said: “The best way to end homelessness is to stop it happening in the first place. So we strongly welcome the opportunity to work with the Scottish Government to create a new law that will enable us to prevent homelessness as early as possible.  Across Scotland – and Britain – we all see the human cost of homelessness every day and we know it takes a toll on our society. That’s why putting in place steps to make sure people aren’t pushed into homelessness is so crucial. Over the years Scotland has led the way in developing the strongest homelessness rights in the world. Our ambition now must be to end it once and for all.”