Homelessness Prevention Task and Finish Group: Final Report

Overview

The Homelessness Prevention Task and Finish Group: Final Report is an independent report commissioned by the Scottish Government to examine how homelessness can be prevented more effectively across Scotland.

Published in 2023, the report brings together evidence from policy, practice and lived experience to set out practical recommendations for embedding prevention across public services. It calls for a decisive shift away from crisis-led responses towards earlier, coordinated action that reduces the number of people who experience homelessness in the first place.

For organisations working with young people, the report provides an important framework for understanding how prevention must work in practice, and what system change is required to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.

What the report covers

The Task and Finish Group was established to explore how homelessness prevention can be strengthened at a national and local level. The report sets out recommendations focused on:

• Early identification of risk, so people receive support before reaching crisis.
• Shared responsibility for prevention, across housing, health, education, justice and social services.
• Improved data sharing and coordination, to reduce people falling through gaps in the system.
• Clear accountability and leadership, ensuring prevention is embedded across public bodies.
• A shift in culture and practice, from managing homelessness to preventing it.

The report emphasises that prevention must be proactive, person-centred and consistently applied, rather than dependent on thresholds or statutory crisis points.

Why this matters for youth homelessness

Young people often experience homelessness differently from adults, with risk driven by family breakdown, poverty, transitions out of care, and disengagement from education or support.

The report’s findings are particularly relevant for youth homelessness because they reinforce the need for:

• Earlier intervention with children, young people and families under pressure.
• Better coordination between youth services, housing and education.
• Support during key transitions, including leaving school, care or temporary accommodation.
• Youth-specific approaches that recognise developmental stages and vulnerabilities.

Without prevention-focused systems, young people are more likely to enter homelessness early and experience repeated instability over time.

Rock Trust’s perspective

Rock Trust works to end youth homelessness by making it rare, brief and non-recurring. The recommendations in this report closely align with our long-standing focus on prevention, early intervention and youth-specific support.

In practice, this means:

• Intervening before crisis, through schools-based prevention, mediation and youth work.
• Supporting young people holistically, not just addressing housing need.
• Working across systems, alongside local authorities, schools and partners.
• Using evidence to influence policy and practice, so prevention becomes the norm.

We use reports like this to inform our policy work, strengthen our partnerships, and advocate for a prevention-led approach that works for young people across Scotland.