HEALTH officials should ask about people’s housing situation to stop them suffering from homelessness, independent experts have urged.

The experts have stressed that Scotland can become a world leader in ending homelessness if more preventative action is taken – involving a host of public bodies providing wrap-around support.

A new document from the Homeless Prevention Review Group, commissioned by the Scottish Government and convened by the charity Crisis, has called for action to prevent homelessness begins six months before someone faces losing their home.

This would mean that public bodies, such as health services, should ask about people’s housing situation to identify any issues at an early stage and act where a problem exists.

The organisations would then work together with housing professionals to ensure that people get help early and do not lose their home unnecessarily.

The proposals, if rolled out, would ensure that no-one leaves an institution, such as prison or hospital, without somewhere to sleep that night, the experts have stressed.

The recommendations would mean that people facing homelessness should have greater choice and control over where they live and have access to the same options as other members of the public.

The group was chaired by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick of Heriot-Watt University and was made up of local authority bodies, representatives from the housing and homelessness sectors and health and social care.

Professor Fitzpatrick said: “While we have strong protections in place to help individuals and families when they are at imminent risk of losing their home, we have laid far less emphasis to date on effective work to prevent homelessness happening in the first place. This means it is all too common for someone to reach crisis point before they get the help they need.

“It was this need to act earlier and prevent people from ever having to experience the trauma of homelessness, which drove the work of the Prevention Review Group.

“Our work was guided by three principles: that there should be a collective responsibility across public services to prevent homelessness; that intervention to prevent homelessness should start as soon as possible; and that those at risk of homelessness should have greater choice in where they live and access to the same options as other members of the public.

“The homelessness system should become the safety net it was intended to be rather than a default response to housing problems. The recommendations in this report hold the potential to radically change the face of the homelessness system in Scotland.”

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart added: “Ending homelessness is a priority for the Scottish Government so I welcome the recommendations in this report, which focuses on the importance of preventing homelessness from happening in the first place. The report also highlights the importance of a whole-system, person-centred approach to our goal of preventing homelessness, for example through the work of health, education and justice services."

“This report was developed in consultation with frontline workers and people with lived experience of homelessness as well as so many organisations from across the public and third sector, and I want to thank everyone involved. Crisis in particular has provided significant resources to this work and I am grateful for the commitment they have shown. I now look forward to working with Cosla and all our other partners to discuss how we can put these proposals into action.”