Five priorities to tackle poverty over the next five years are to be drawn up by government, health boards and charities.
The sixth Scottish Assembly for Tackling Poverty is being held in Glasgow as part of Challenge Poverty Week, with politicians and activists from trade unions, faith groups and voluntary organisations contributing to a plan.
Organised by the Poverty Alliance since 2010, the assembly is discussing how new devolved powers for the Scottish Parliament can best be used to "achieve a fairer Scotland".
Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance, said: "We are delighted to once again bring people from all over Scotland together to think about the type of Scotland we want to live in and how we achieve that.
"The assembly will feed into the Scottish Government's social action plan and by the end of the day we hope to have a firm list of key priorities for the next five years.
"With new powers for the Scottish Parliament on the way, now is the time to think about how we use these to achieve a fairer Scotland."
The plight of refugees in Scotland has been a focus of Challenge Poverty Week, with hundreds being made homeless, according to the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC).
In Glasgow alone about 800 refugees are made homeless each year and the situation is caused when refugees receive a "leave to remain" decision, giving them four weeks to leave the accommodation provided for them by the Home Office, according to the SRC.
A spokesman for the SRC said: "Most 'new' refugees believe their best option is to rent a house from the council or a housing association.
"But to achieve that objective, a refugee has to 'present as homeless' at the Hamish Allan Centre and be accommodated in a hostel or a temporary furnished flat until a permanent home becomes available - this can take months and, in some cases, years."
Earlier this month, all 32 Scottish local councils indicated a willingness to help with the refugee crisis in Europe.
Shelter is to be provided to at least 2,000 Syrians, with refugees expected to arrive in some areas before Christmas.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds has already been raised by Scots and pledged by the government to provide humanitarian aid for refugees arriving in Europe.
Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil said: "The Scottish Assembly for Tackling Poverty is an important opportunity to highlight and discuss how we can address the unacceptable levels of poverty in Scotland.
"We need to close inequality gaps which is why through our Fairer Scotland discussions we have been asking people with direct experience of poverty and exclusion to put forward their views on creating a fairer and more equal Scotland.
"These conversations will feed into our forthcoming Social Justice Action Plan and help inform how we deliver our social security powers, ensuring that our approach is based on fairness and that people are treated with dignity and respect."
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