Representation outside England

Homeless Link works through its sister organisations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to end homelessness.  While we do not work at a political level in these countries, our good practice services, policy information and membership are available to homelessness agencies on the ground at a reduced rate. 

Scotland

The devolved Scottish parliament takes responsibility for homelessness issues in Scotland. They have decision making powers, unlike English regional Government Offices, so policy is often different to that in England.

 Tackling homelessness is central to the Scottish Executive’s strategy for providing routes out of poverty and disadvantage, and promoting economic inclusion. They have put in place A Code of Guidance on Homelessness and policies to prevent and alleviate homelessness, including legislation which has improved homeless people’s rights. The Executive provides practical guidance on how the legislation and related policies should be implemented.

The Scottish Council for Single Homeless (SCSH) is the national membership body in Scotland for organisations and individuals tackling homelessness. Their members include voluntary sector providers, housing associations, local authorities, academics and other professionals involved in homelessness prevention and alleviation.

Wales

The Welsh Assembly Government  has responsibility for homelessness issues in Wales since the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.  The Welsh Assembly Government has decision making power and can pass primary and secondary legislation and as a result policy is often different to that in England. They have developed a 10 year homelessness plan for Wales that outlines how they are going to tackle homelessness between now and 2019.that outlines how they are going to tackle homelessness between now and 2019.

 The representative body for housing support and homelessness in Wales is Cymorth Cymru. 

NORTHERN IRELAND

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has responsibility for policy and programmes and have developed a homelessness strategy.    

The Council for the Homeless, Northern Ireland (CHNI) was founded in 1983 to represent organisations working with homeless people throughout Northern Ireland.  Its mission is to support its membership to provide appropriate and good quality services to homeless people, and to highlight the reality of homelessness in the political and public arenas. It does this by providing training, information and research, collective representation, communication and networks, and technical support. It also lobbies for legislative and social change.

EUROPE

FEANTSA, the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless, is an umbrella body of not for profit organisations that work against homelessness in Europe.  It is the only major European network that focuses exclusively on homelessness at European level.  It encourages and facilitates the cooperation of all relevant agencies fighting homelessness in Europe.

The FEANTSA website is a one stop resource for information on homelessness in Europe, it outlines the scope and nature of homelessness in all European countries, as well as policy and practices.