Thematic Review: Homelessness Tenancy Sustainment – August 2026

About this thematic

Social landlords play a critical role in addressing homelessness in Scotland through the provision of social rented housing across the country. As a result, a substantial share of social housing goes to households assessed as homeless. In addition to providing permanent accommodation, social landlords work hard to help ensure these tenancies are sustained. Tenancy sustainment of homeless households into permanent and secure homes is a key strategy for preventing repeat homelessness and supporting tenant wellbeing.

Evidence indicates that sustaining tenancies for people who have experienced homelessness can be challenging for some, often due to a combination of personal, financial and systemic factors. For example, some tenants have complex and overlapping support needs including mental health issues, substance use, or experiences of trauma, which can make it harder to maintain a stable household without ongoing support. Financial pressures can also play a significant role with low incomes, debt and welfare changes increasing the risk of rent arrears. This can have financial implications for landlords, with increasing levels of rent arrears and income losses arising from periods when homes are vacant following tenancy breakdowns.

In addition, some people moving on from homelessness may face difficulties adjusting to independent living, particularly where they lack social networks or access to timely support services. These challenges are often compounded by wider system pressures including limited service capacity and barriers to accessing health and social care, meaning that successful tenancy sustainment typically depends on coordinated, ongoing support rather than housing provision alone.

Social landlords in Scotland generally report high levels of tenancy sustainment for more than one year for formerly homeless households. In 2025/26 seven in ten social landlords reported sustainment levels of between 90-100%.

We work with a group of independent, volunteer Tenant Advisors (TAs) – tenants from local authorities and registered social landlords (RSLs). This is one of the ways we hear directly from tenants so that we focus on the things that matter most to them. 

Here we report the outcome of survey work we undertook with social landlords who have some of the highest levels of tenancy sustainment for formerly homeless households. We asked our TAs to review the responses from landlords and to identify common themes, any challenges described by landlords and examples of positive practice in meeting these challenges. Annex 1 says more about how we did this work.

Main findings

Following their analysis of landlords’ responses, here is our summary of what our TAs told us what they thought worked well to help formerly homeless households sustain their tenancies.

Early proactive and relationship-based support

Landlords generally invest heavily in early intervention, often from the pre-tenancy stage through the first 4-12 weeks of tenancy. Common approaches include:

• pre-tenancy meetings to assess needs, clarify expectations and build rapport;
• early tenancy visits soon after moving in to identify issues quickly; and
• intensive early support, particularly for tenants with complex needs, mental illness, trauma or addiction issues.

Landlords told us that this front-loaded, relationship-based approach promotes trust, establishes routines and helps prevent early crises.

Making homes immediately liveable

Homeless households frequently move into their new homes with little or no furniture, flooring or essentials. To help, nearly all landlords who responded to the survey provide some form of practical, material support to tenants who needed it, to prevent abandonment and financial distress at the start of the tenancy. This includes:

• flooring, curtains, white goods and starter packs;
• decoration vouchers or assistance;
• furniture reuse schemes where outgoing tenants' items are checked and recycled for others; and
• in-house funds to plug gaps left by delays or refusals from the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Landlords said that these practical measures help tenants settle in and reduce the risk of arrears and repeat homelessness by ensuring tenants begin with a liveable home.

Strong multi-agency partnerships that wrap around the tenant

All landlords in our survey take part in extensive partnership working with statutory, voluntary and community agencies and organisations which they regard as essential for households with overlapping needs. These include:

• money advice and welfare rights teams;
• mental health, addiction and recovery services;
• Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, especially where specific risks have been identified; and
• Women's Aid, Shakti Women's Aid, Turning Point Scotland, Clyde Care, Rock Trust, Salvation Army Scotland and other specialist organisations such as those that provide food banks.

The landlords said that this collaborative and holistic approach helps ensure continuity of support for the tenant and helps to stabilise tenancies.

Working hard to match people to suitable homes (“right home, first time”)

A clear theme which emerged from the landlord survey results is the importance of ensuring a suitable home which meets the tenant’s needs is prioritised rather than just providing any home. Landlords told us that rushed or unsuitable allocations can lead to early failure of a tenancy. Common practices include:

• person-centred assessments to understand any support needs and risks;
• working closely with local authority team casework teams to ensure the quality of referral information helps provide a fuller understanding of the homeless person’s housing and support needs and which leads to a better housing match for them;
• avoiding further disruption or uncertainty for households settled in their accommodation by using creative approaches, such as flipping temporary accommodation to permanent tenancies; and
• one landlord has introduced two offers for Section 5 applicants to minimise the risk of unsuitable allocations.

The landlords told us that this approach helps reduce the likelihood of abandonment and re-presentations and improves tenant satisfaction.

Flexible, not time-limited, support

Landlords highlighted that it was important for support not to end abruptly after a fixed or arbitrary period of time. They suggested stronger practice involves:

• flexible support models where input increases or tapers depending on need; and
• dedicated tenancy sustainment staff or teams who provide ongoing support of vulnerable tenants.

Landlords told us this flexibility was considered crucial for tenants with complex or changing needs. They told us that how support is offered is as important as what is offered.  Several landlords highlighted Housing First as an example of this approach. Housing First provides people with permanent housing alongside flexible, person-centred support that is not time limited. Landlords told us that support can be increased, reduced or maintained depending on the individual's circumstances and needs.

Clear and person-centred communication

Landlords highlighted the importance of good communication between multi-agency partners and with the homeless person, and being ready to adapt to the communication needs of that person:

• use honest, clear conversation to set expectations about property condition, size, rent responsibilities and behaviour;
• have information-sharing protocols with partner agencies for early risk identification and management for tenants who have particular needs; and,
• provide interpreters where needed to ensure equalities duties are being met and that the homeless person is fully informed.

Hands-on practical assistance

All of the landlords responding to our survey told us this is important.    Examples of this included:

• staff helping tenants register with GPs, utilities, council tax and benefits;
• collecting or delivering food parcels or fuel vouchers during the vulnerable early weeks of tenancy; and
• providing appointments at the tenant’s home rather than asking the tenant to attend the landlord’s office.

Landlords who do this told us that it helps to reduce stress and build tenants’ confidence in managing their tenancy, thereby improving their wellbeing.

Strong triage and risk management

Our Tenant Advisors told us that they could recognise, from the responses submitted by the landlords, the work of several landlords to improve upstream or early stage, tenancy sustainment processes:

• one landlord strengthened its triage processes to identify incomplete referral information. This helped better inform the landlord when making decisions around housing needs and available homes thereby reducing unsuitable placements;
• with the permission of the households, landlords work with other agencies to share risk assessments to identify and then assist with any vulnerabilities as early as possible; and
• one landlord collaborates with authorities at an early stage to support young people leaving police custody or prison to help ensure housing is appropriate and manageable.

Some landlords highlighted that upfront risk management helps stabilise tenancies before issues escalate.

Landlords who participated also told us the following:

• The gap between statutory support and tenant needs – some landlords are increasingly filling gaps left by what they view as overstretched external support services (e.g. Scottish Welfare Fund delays, reduced housing support capacity).
• Significant practical and financial vulnerability – homeless households commonly arrive without belongings, digital skills or knowledge of how to manage utilities and benefits. This creates structural barriers that landlords try to bridge.
• Geographic and demographic challenges – for example, a shortage in one-bed properties and/or larger family properties in some areas of the country.
• Severe shortages are widespread – most of the councils say they are experiencing significant stock pressures generally particularly in specialist and temporary accommodation which can lead to unsuitable placements, long waits and pressure on households to accept offers.
• Practical support often has more impact than traditional tenancy sustainment casework services – some landlords say that providing flooring, furniture, white goods, translation support and income maximisation advice can have more effect on sustainment than traditional casework services which focus on housing support.
• Financial benefits of sustained tenancies – some landlords say that the sustainment initiatives and interventions have seen improved rent collection and reduced arrears.

Landlords’ highlighted positive practice

Angus Council  told us that its Homelessness Prevention Fund provides financial assistance to people at risk of homelessness due to housing related debt, including rent arrears. The Fund aims to prevent eviction and sustain existing tenancies, offering grants of up to £2,500 where no other support is available. It is used for council, housing association and private tenants, with applications assessed case‑by‑case and focused on those at greatest risk.

City of Edinburgh Council told us that its small Prevention and Partnership Housing Officer team was established in preparation for the Prevention Duty, which is in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025. The role of the Officers is to develop and deliver training for internal and external partners on how they can use their existing conversations with service users to identify any risk of homelessness and making them aware of their new responsibilities under the Act. The two Officers are also responsible for increasing awareness of the Homeless Prevention and Housing Options Service, helping teams understand the Code of Guidance and tackle stigma of what homelessness is and factors contributing to homelessness.

Dundee City Council (Dundee City) told us it commissioned the "Voices Making Changes" initiative which was led by Policy Scotland. The initiative was designed to gather direct feedback and lived experience insights from individuals affected by homelessness and housing challenges in the city. Recommendations from "Voices Making Changes" informed Dundee City’s ongoing efforts to develop more responsive and effective prevention policies. Key themes included the value of accessible information, trauma-informed approaches, and ensuring service users' voices are central to policy development and review.

East Dunbartonshire Council (East Dunbartonshire) told us that its homelessness team has completed training to help embed trauma-informed practice. East Dunbartonshire also told us that changes have been made to the office and interview rooms (to help improve the service user experience) and officer breakout space (to allow time for officers to reflect and get ready for their next appointment). East Dunbartonshire’s Project 101 team (which is a housing advice service for residents/applicants aged 14-25 years) moved to a new office space which facilitates ‘chance to chat’ sessions, arts and crafts and community cooking lessons. Officers have access to a “Think Differently Fund” where they can assist households to meet certain costs, for example to be digitally included (sim cards are provided by Good Things Foundation). Officers have also helped households with practical things like haircuts, clothing, and supported them to obtain driving licenses etc.

East Kilbride Housing Association (East Kilbride) told us that it has established a Tenancy Sustainment Fund of around £15,000 each year. The fund is targeted at people who are unsuccessful in accessing support from the Scottish Welfare Fund and has proven particularly successful for the ‘working poor’ starting a new tenancy following homelessness. East Kilbride highlighted that people who have lost furnished accommodation often have little or nothing to set up their new tenancy, while working households are often not eligible for other forms of assistance. East Kilbride told us that the fund has a very positive impact and helps those who are not eligible for other assistance.

Falkirk Council (Falkirk) told us that it uses the Outcomes Star™  model across all of its homeless support services. The Outcomes Star™ model is a collaborative outcomes measurement and support planning tool used between support workers and service users. Using the model places the service user at the centre of the support process and helps them identify their goals and review their progress towards independent living. They can reflect on their development across a range of areas, including housing, health, finances, relationships, social networks and life skills, helping them to identify the outcomes that matter most to them. Falkirk also told us their supported accommodation services continue support to service users as they move into permanent or dispersed temporary accommodation, promoting continuity of support relationships, building confidence, and helping people establish and sustain themselves in their new homes and communities.

Glen Oaks Housing Association (Glen Oaks) told us that its goAhead Initiative is a discretionary, cash-first, flexible fund that enables staff to respond quickly to urgent needs and make small but impactful interventions. Glen Oaks told us that the initiative can help prevent crisis escalation and improve comfort, wellbeing and tenancy stability while promoting dignity and empowerment. Glen Oaks highlighted that a homeless applicant often begins a tenancy without access to furniture, flooring, food, energy credit or other essential household good, and told us that the flexibility of the goAhead Initiative allows staff to provide practical support where it is needed most.

Govan Housing Association (Govan) told us that it discusses potential offers with a homeless customer prior to allocation to ensure their new home will meet their needs. Govan also considers the customer’s support network. Housing Officers also have an opportunity at this point to determine any further support issues that could be addressed prior to customers signing the tenancy agreement for the property and moving in.

Govanhill Housing Association (Govanhill) told us that it has a dedicated Tenancy Sustainment Team which carries out settling in visits with new tenants. Govanhill identified this as one of its most effective approaches to supporting people who have experienced homelessness. Govanhill told us that it aims to carry out new tenant visits within 6–8 weeks, as leaving visits longer can mean that people are struggling without support. Govanhill also highlighted the importance of identifying support needs early and works closely with its Welfare Rights Team and external support providers to help tenants access assistance where required.

Harbour Homes (Harbour Homes) told us that it has an in-house Tenant Advice Service which provides energy advice, welfare rights support, tenancy sustainment support, and money and debt advice to both new and existing tenants. Harbour Homes told us that this creates a "one stop shop", reducing the need for tenants to access multiple services. It also highlighted the importance of providing tenancy sustainment advice from the outset of a tenancy to help identify issues before they become more problematic. As part of this approach, Harbour Homes contacts all new tenants one month into their tenancy to ensure they are aware of the support available and have the opportunity to access it at an early stage.

Melville Housing Association (Melville) told us that maximising income is one of the most effective ways that it helps tenants stabilise a tenancy. Melville’s Welfare Benefits support plays a central role in this. When tenants feel financially secure, they are more willing to engage with the landlord, and this reduces one of the biggest barriers that Melville faces: non-engagement. Early income maximisation often prevents arrears, reduces stress, and builds trust from the outset.

Midlothian Council (Midlothian) told us that it improved their temporary accommodation model by simplifying the homelessness journey and providing more planned housing options. Previously, applicants would routinely enter emergency accommodation as the standard first step. Midlothian now seeks, where possible, to place applicants in temporary accommodation in their preferred area, allowing them to remain close to family, friends, schools and other local services. These temporary tenancies can be converted or “flipped” into secure tenancies, reducing the need for additional moves and helping people settle more quickly into a permanent home.

New Gorbals Housing Association told us that its Wider Action Team has developed a number of opportunities for members of its community to access food and/or hot meals in a dignified and inclusive environment. Its Community Meals and Community Breakfasts are well established within the local area and through its dedicated partners it can signpost those in need to access a minimum of one cost free meal a day, every day of the week. This helps reduce financial pressures for new tenants coming through the homeless route.

Orkney Islands Council told us that its Housing Officers provide intensive, hands-on support to homeless households. Instead of directing clients to multiple services, such as Housing Benefit or the Scottish Welfare Fund, which can introduce delays and additional stress, their Officers can offer immediate, practical help wherever possible. This includes assisting clients to complete essential forms and connecting them directly with organisations such as THAW Orkney, Orkney Foodbank, and the Right There Routes programme, to resolve urgent issues at the point of need.

Paisley Housing Association (Paisley) told us that it has a dedicated Tenancy Sustainment Officer who takes what they call a ‘stickability’ approach to working closely with the local authority’s Homeless Services Resettlement team to engage with tenants. Paisley’s aim is to work with the tenant over the long term and being in the right place, at the right time to provide the necessary appropriate support to embrace opportunity to make a positive change. This support can often last years.

Prospect Community Housing (Prospect) told us that it finds its most effective approach to tenancy sustainment for homeless people is through its investment in new tenancy support. They have increased their work with new tenants at the pre-tenancy stage with the aim of helping them to begin their tenancy, with support which includes agreeing a payment plan upfront to reduce the risk of arrears, automatic benefit check and welfare rights support, energy information and support, meeting a range of staff to give confidence in reporting repairs and learning about community activities in the area.  Prospect believes this helps new tenants become part of the community they are moving to and to build a connection and resilience. They also have a Tenancy Sustainment budget which is reviewed annually. This covers the costs of carpets, white goods etc. The cost of the budget is partially offset by reduced voids achieved by sustaining tenancies.

Provanhall Housing Association told us that it has an early support, needs-driven tenancy sustainment model that delivers structured, intensive support during the first 12 weeks of tenancy with frequency tailored to individual needs. This approach significantly reduces early tenancy failure by addressing practical, financial and wellbeing issues before they escalate. It also builds trust and routine at the most vulnerable stage of the tenancy journey.

Rosehill Housing Association (Rosehill) told us that a fundamental part of its working practices is to carry out pre-tenancy visits to all applicants prior to offering them a tenancy and that this has proven to be successful. These pre-tenancy visits allow Rosehill to get a more in-depth sense of the applicant’s circumstances and what help they need. For example, staff can help them apply for universal credit, set up direct debits etc. This also gives Rosehill an opportunity to explain their processes regarding things like viewings, sign-ups and when rent is due for example.

Shetlands Islands Council told us that it has found ‘flipping temporary accommodation’, that is converting suitable temporary lets to permanent homes, reduces the time in temporary accommodation, reduces the need for unnecessary moves and improves tenancy sustainment.

South Lanarkshire Council told us that it has a Pathway Approach for Care Experienced Young People that involves dedicated Throughcare Housing Officers working in partnership with Social Work and the third sector, offering young people looking to move into their own accommodation, a transition flat with intensive support from Barnardo’s. This allows them to develop life skills for running a tenancy including managing finances and cooking. Time is taken in the transition flats to understand where the young person would like to settle and then make an offer of a permanent tenancy when they are ready. Intensive support can continue in the permanent tenancy to promote tenancy sustainment.

West Dunbartonshire Council told us that it has a range of protocols in place for different homeless client groups (young care leavers, patients being discharged from hospital and people leaving prison, for example) which ensures clear and effective collaborative working and information sharing between all relevant partners to assess and understand their housing and support needs.

West Lothian Council told us that its Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP) previously funded a multi-disciplinary pilot team, including an Education Support Officer, Youth Housing Options Officer and Prevention Officer, to help prevent youth homelessness.  The dedicated education role strengthened the early identification of young people at risk of homelessness through an improved risk matrix and referral pathways to prevention services. Where homelessness could not be avoided, tailored housing support helped young people secure sustainable outcomes. The wider pilot also delivered awareness-raising sessions across all 12 secondary schools and supported the SQF Level 4 tenancy award. Strong referral pathways established between schools and support services continue to facilitate timely, co-ordinated access to prevention, education and direct support for young people. While the pilot is no longer fully operational, a commissioned service continues to provide early intervention support through the Upstream model in two pilot schools.

Wheatley Homes Glasgow (WHGlasgow) told us that its work with Glasgow City Council (GCC) to jointly match homeless applicants to suitable properties has been highly effective since it was initially introduced as a pilot in August 2020. This approach allows for a more holistic assessment of individual needs, ensuring it is not ‘setting people up to fail.’ Since moving away from choice-based letting, WHGlasgow has seen a significant reduction in the time taken for homeless households to be rehoused, with allocations happening much more quickly from the point Wheatley receives the referral. The quality and accuracy of referrals have also improved substantially, with up-to-date information and reduced duplication; for example, referrals are no longer issued to multiple RSLs at the same time. This improved co-ordination has led to half the number of referrals being received from GCC each year but an increase of around 60% in the number of homeless applicants housed. In addition, WHGlasgow has seen a reduction in refusal rates and workload for both Wheatley Housing Group and GCC.

Yoker Housing Association (Yoker) told us that its pre-tenancy meetings with all homeless individuals have significantly helped it overcome the challenges of language barriers, financial resources and lack of understanding of homeless referral and allocation processes. The practice enables Yoker to provide prospective new tenants with information about the property on offer, their tenancy rights and obligations, and the area’s local amenities and services. The visits also ensure Yoker has a full understanding of the homeless individual’s personal, household and financial needs in order to determine the most appropriate support. This includes assessing whether a referral to money advice or a local starter pack project is needed or gathering information for a possible Scottish Welfare Fund application. Where necessary these meetings are held jointly with interpretation and support services present.

Conclusions

Landlords consistently reported the following as being key to successfully maintaining the tenancy of formerly homeless households.

• Practical hands-on help and advice such as the provision of starter packs (including white goods, bedding and small appliances), furniture and decoration allowances and assistance with other financial issues helps make a home more liveable and reduces immediate financial stress.  This often pays for itself through reduced arrears and voids further down the road.
• Early, intensive and relationship-based support that minimises crises, builds trust and identifies risks before or early in the tenancy.
• Good, person-specific communications and clear expectations, including interpreter support where needed.
• Strong multi-agency partnerships that address mental health, safety, financial and wellbeing needs.
• Allocations based on suitability, not speed.
• Flexible support models that can be extended or tapered over time.
• Effective sustainment practices can minimise arrears and void loss. They improve stock utilisation by increasing successful tenancies from the outset. In addition, preventative approaches reduce pressure on staffing and wider services, improving operational efficiency.

Landlords told us that these practices when combined best create the conditions that enable a homeless household to not just access a home, but to keep it and therefore help prevent repeat homelessness.

Annex 1 – What we did

Using our Annual Return on the Charter (ARC) data submissions, we identified landlords who had achieved a high level of tenancy sustainment for households that were previously homeless.  A total of 24 landlords agreed to take part, comprising 11 local authorities and 13 RSLs.  The landlords included a mix of urban, rural, island, mainland, large, medium and smaller landlords We are grateful to them for taking part.  The landlords who took part were as follows.

Landlords were then asked to complete a six‑question survey on their approach to tenancy sustainment for formerly homeless households including any challenges they faced and what worked well for them in maximising tenancy sustainment for formerly homeless households.   You can view the social landlord survey questions at Annex 2.

Our TAs carried out most of the analysis of the landlords’ survey responses, comparing the information provided by landlords including the positive practice and reflected on how these would work in practice from a tenant perspective.

We are grateful to our TAs for their work with us on this.  

Annex 2 – Social Landlord Survey Questions

1. In what ways do the challenges associated with housing individuals who are homeless differ from those encountered when housing other tenant groups?  Please outline up to five challenges and rank by “most challenging” where one is the most challenging.
2. What initiatives or practices have proven successful in your experience?  Please outline up to five and rank by “most successful or impactful” where one is the most successful or impactful.
3. What approaches have you implemented that have been less effective, and what lessons were learned? Please outline up to five.
4. Do you collaborate with support services provided by other organisations to assist in addressing these challenges? If so, please describe the nature of this engagement. Please outline up to five and rank by “most critical” where one is the most critical.
5. Are there other organisations that provide support to homeless individuals to help sustain their tenancies, and how do you work with them? Please outline up to five.
6. Do you have any examples of positive practice that could be highlighted in a report we may produce?  Please outline up to five and rank by “most positive” where one is the approach that you think is the most effective / could be the most valuable to other landlords.