The town of Grants Pass, Oregon, hit the headlines recently. It became the focus of a test case in the US Supreme Court on whether local authorities should be allowed to issue fines or custodial sentences to unhoused people sleeping or camping in public.

Reversing an earlier decision that this amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment”, America’s top judges ruled that they could. The USA’s 653,104 homeless people are now subject to harsher measures as cities across the country seek to clear out encampments that have developed since the Covid pandemic. The then UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman also made public pronouncements about banning tents.

Here in Scotland, homelessness is one of the most serious problems facing society. The Scottish Government, local authorities and charities such as Social Bite talk of a housing emergency, one where statutory duties to provide appropriate accommodation homeless people and families are not being met in large numbers. While the numbers are nowhere near as bad as in America, the human misery caused by a lack of affordable housing and its impact on adults and many children is significant. The question is what should we do about it? And for universities like Glasgow, how can we apply our academic expertise, influence and convening power to the problem?

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Many of us lack even a basic understanding of homelessness. We see people begging outside supermarkets and assume it is because they have nowhere to live. Our reaction is often one of embarrassment, even shame: should I give this person some money? Should I buy them a sandwich? And why doesn’t the city provide them with somewhere to live? In reality, the issue of homelessness in Scotland is not primarily about rough sleeping. Most nights, the number of people regularly sleeping outside in Glasgow is close to single figures. Working with the city council, organisations like Glasgow City Mission and the Bethany Trust do an amazing job providing emergency support - offering bedspaces, addressing people’s immediate needs and treating everyone with respect. They also influence the long-term policy agenda with a focus on more social housing and effective homelessness prevention.

The structural causes of homelessness like poverty these and other homelessness organisations face have undoubtedly been exacerbated by the arrival of migrants, many fleeing war zones in troubled parts of the world. While asylum seekers usually have access to specialist services and accommodation, they are often denied access to benefits and the right to work, and so seek support from charities; those organisations rightly provide it on a non-judgemental basis. But this can stretch the capacity of charities and local authorities to the limit and can lead to tensions as they seek to meet everyone’s needs with all too scarce resources.

More generally, the policy and support environment in Scotland is a world away from the punitive measures being considered in the USA. Scotland has drawn praise for defining a clear set of rights for homeless people and for its relatively enlightened approach to homelessness. Key aspects of this (not all of which are unique to Scotland) include an increasing emphasis on preventative measures; a commitment to help anyone in need; and an aspiration to provide wrap-around, holistic support. These principles are shared across multiple stakeholders, include Scottish Government, local authorities and charities. An essential part of Scottish policy is summed up in the term Housing First: a concept that originated in Finland, it entails paying attention initially to peoples’ housing needs and then addressing any other issues they face, such as addiction recovery, mental ill health or lack of regular income. Even so, a huge amount remains to be done.

While homelessness is closely linked to poverty, the fundamental need is secure, affordable housing. People who experience homelessness often slide into difficulties through consequences of material poverty, loss of employment, mounting debt and family break ups. They will not necessarily become rough sleepers; instead they suffer the misery of sharing overcrowded and inadequate accommodation, sofa surfing, dependency on friends and relatives and a never-ending search for somewhere warm to sleep.

Scotland has a relatively enlightened approach to homelessnessScotland has a relatively enlightened approach to homelessness (Image: PA)

Despite strenuous efforts, joining up services and provision across local authorities, housing associations and charities can be a challenge. Governments and local authorities embrace the aims of inclusive growth and helping those most in need but often struggle to translate this into practical, impactful policies. And as noted above, while awareness of leading charities like Shelter and Crisis is widespread, public understanding of homelessness remains sketchy, resulting in uneven empathy and support for the homeless.

Working with key partners, the University of Glasgow is seeking to address aspects of the homelessness crisis. Its institution-wide initiative, Road to Home, has engaged lecturers and students in a range of practical interventions. Part of this involves standard academic research on areas of concern: for example, a recent investigation explored the issue of student homelessness in Glasgow; it defined the problem and proposed solutions which have been shared widely.

Over two years, the university has also enlisted cohorts of student interns to take forward discrete projects under academic supervision. One ongoing study involves an evaluation of the Simon Community’s Access Hub, assessing the way this innovative, people-centred way of helping the homeless meets the charity’s objectives. The study provides a starting point for the many visitors who come to see the Hub in action and offers suggestions on how it can be even more effective.

Another project involves the development of teaching materials for use in early secondary schools as part of Personal and Social Education. This is an excellent way of raising public understanding of homelessness as a social issue and encourages young people to think about how it can be tackled. The new materials will comprise four complete lessons and are already attracting considerable interest from schools.

Meanwhile, academics with expertise in housing and homelessness have been developing upskilling courses for housing professionals. Scotland’s councils employ people with considerable expertise in this area, but at a time when best practice is constantly evolving, there is strong demand for continuous learning opportunities.

Student energy and enthusiasm have also been deployed to raise awareness of homelessness through social media. Regular posts on platforms such as Instagram and Twitter are backed up by a website and newsletter highlighting the work of organisations such as the Simon Community and SAY Women (an outstanding local charity which supports women who face homelessness as a consequence of sexual violence). Slowly but surely, the student-led team are helping to put the spotlight not just on the problem of homelessness but on what we can do about it.

No one would pretend that the university’s activities will end homelessness: the problem is deeply rooted in our society and has to be addressed through a sustained, coordinated approach involving multiple stakeholders. But as an institution with a strong commitment to its civic mission, it is right that Glasgow University steps up, as it is also doing in other areas such as the refugee crisis, substance abuse and climate change. If we can shift the dial even a little towards more humane, effective, people-centred policies, and deploy our expertise to support front-line agencies, our efforts will surely have been worthwhile.

David Duncan is Chief Operating Office and University Secretary at the University of Glasgow; Ken Gibb is Professor of Housing Economics at the University and Director of the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence.