Edinburgh homelessness: Minister visits Granton and outlines how new Housing Bill will help prevent homelessness

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Housing Minister Paul McLennan visited Edinburgh’s West Granton Housing Cooperative to mark World Homeless Day.

And he used the occasion to outline how the Scottish Government’s new Housing (Scotland) Bill aims to tackle homelessness.

The Bill includes new homelessness prevention duties, which place a stronger emphasis on early intervention and co-ordinated support, to help people avoid homelessness.  

Housing Minister Paul McLennan visits West Granton Housing Co-operativeHousing Minister Paul McLennan visits West Granton Housing Co-operative
Housing Minister Paul McLennan visits West Granton Housing Co-operative | supplied

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World Homeless Day is marked every year on 10 October to draw attention to the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

Mr McLennan said: “Becoming homeless can have an enormous impact on people’s lives, but we are determined to ensure no one need become homeless in the first place.

“That is why, as part of the Housing (Scotland) Bill, we will introduce a package of measures to support as many people as possible to stay in their homes and communities.

“One of those duties will be for social landlords to develop and implement a policy outlining how they support tenants experiencing domestic abuse. West Granton Housing Cooperative is leading the way on this already by implementing measures to support survivors.

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“The changes are based on the principles of shared public responsibility and earlier intervention to prevent homelessness and increased choice and control over housing outcomes.”

He said Scotland already had some of the strongest rights across the UK for people facing homelessness. “We have made record funding of £14 billion available to councils to deliver a range of services, including in homelessness. We want to build on that foundation so people can get the help they need before they reach the point of housing crisis.”

The West Granton Housing Cooperative is a not-for-profit Registered Social Landlord with a social housing stock of over 370 “general needs” properties.

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