Homelessness in Renfrewshire – Action Plan - Report
Renfrewshire Council · 19 May 2026
Back to Communities and Housing Policy Board — 19 May 2026 and its agenda
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Communities & Housing Policy Board On: 19 May 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Homelessness in Renfrewshire – Action Plan ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This report provides the Policy Board with an updated summary on the homeless and housing support pressures across Renfrewshire. 1.2 A comprehensive Homelessness Action Plan for Renfrewshire has been developed which incorporates and consolidates a broad range of measures that are already being applied by the Council and / or partners, as well as introducing new actions which will help to mitigate the impact of the increase in homelessness and meet the needs of those who require support. 1.3 This Action Plan covers the period 2026 – 2028 to align with the Local Housing Strategy and is provided in detail in Appendix 1 of this report. It will be shared with partners and stakeholders and regularly reviewed over the lifetime of the Action Plan, with 6 monthly updates on progress with its implementation being provided to the Policy Board as part of the regular updates which have been submitted to the Policy Board on the broader nature and scale of homelessness in Renfrewshire, see para 5.6. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Communities and Housing Policy Board: 2.1 Approve the Homelessness Action Plan for Renfrewshire 2026 – 2028, at Appendix 1 of this Report
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PUBLIC 2.2 Note that 6 monthly updates on progress with its implementation will be provided to the Policy Board. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 As previously reported to the Policy Board, the annual number of statutorily homeless households in Renfrewshire generally remained consistent up until 2021. There has however been a steady, stepped increase in homeless applications since then, in line with the national trend, with the annual number of applications in 2025/26 increasing by over 10% to 1135. The table below illustrates the annual number of applications in Renfrewshire, verified by the Scottish Government: 3.2 This has led to a position where the number of households being supported by Homeless Services (‘live cases’) at the end of 2025/26 was 506 - this figure was 378 at April 2023 and 406 in 2024. 3.3 This increase in homelessness and the impacts of the demand pressures on homeless and housing support services has been reported to the Policy Board over the past few years, with regular updates provided on the steps being taken to meet the rising demand and provides support to those in housing need. 834 909 935 1026 1026 1135 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 25/26 No. of homeless applications in R/Shire
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PUBLIC 3.4 A full report summarising annual performance information based on the published homelessness statistics for 2025/26, and benchmarking how Renfrewshire compares to other local authorities, will be provided to the Policy Board later this year once they have been verified and published by the Scottish Government, as well as an independent benchmarking analysis of the data by ‘Scotland’s Housing Network’. 4. Scottish Housing Regulator Engagement Plan 4.1 The Scottish Housing Regulator has recently completed its annual risk assessment for all social landlords and thereafter updated their engagement plan on homelessness for Renfrewshire Council. 4.2 Renfrewshire is now one of nine local authorities which the Regulator’s national engagement plan published in April highlighted that they believe were at a heightened risk that the demands in relation to homelessness could shortly exceed their capacity to respond. 4.3 This was largely to be expected, given the on-going demand pressures that have been experienced and reported on for several years, and we will ensure that we regularly provide the Regulator with all the information necessary for them to assess and report on our performance in discharging duties to those who are homeless. 4.4 A key element will be the implementation and monitoring of our ‘Homelessness Action Plan for Renfrewshire’, which is set out in Appendix 1 of this report and summarised in section 5 below. 5. Homelessness Action Plan for Renfrewshire 5.1 The many measures that have been put in place and / or have been developed over the past two years - as well as several new actions - have now been consolidated into a comprehensive Homelessness Action Plan for Renfrewshire. 5.2 This Action Plan has been developed over the past year as the demand pressures for social rented housing and support further increased, and a range of measures were being taken to mitigate the impact on homelessness in Renfrewshire, as reported to the Policy Board throughout the last year. 5.3 The key overarching actions which run through the Plan all relate to the need: • to have a stock of temporary accommodation which meets demand, • to maintain a strong focus on social rented housing being let to those in most housing need, and • to ensure the Council and partners support those who are homeless to transition into settled housing and are able to sustain a tenancy
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PUBLIC 5.4 As well as responding to the Scottish Housing Regulator, our Action Plan for Renfrewshire also incorporates the key elements of the Scottish Government’s Emergency Action Plan announced in September 2025, which included the main homelessness-focussed actions of: • reducing the time children spend living in temporary accommodation. • consider ‘flipping’ temporary accommodation to permanent tenancies for families. • Further support for the use of the Housing First approach. • the provision of funding for pilot schemes to use private sector leasing to reduce the use of B&B. • increase in support for women experiencing domestic abuse. • extending Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans into 2026/27. 5.5 This consolidated Action Plan for Renfrewshire covers the two years to April 2028, and partners will continue to be consulted on its content and outputs, which will allow progress on its implementation to then be regularly reported to the Communities and Housing Policy Board, 5.6 Due to the quickly changing landscape as regards these homelessness and housing support pressures, the first full review of the Action Plan will be carried out no later than the end of December 2026. The Policy Board will continue to receive reports and service updates on the broader nature and scale of homelessness in Renfrewshire, as well as updates on progress with the implementation of the Action Plan. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Our Renfrewshire is fair - those who are homeless will be provided with housing options. • Building strong, safe and resilient communities – meeting the needs of those who are homeless and providing access to settled housing helps to support communities. • Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all – those who are in housing need will be provided with settled housing options. • Working together to improve outcomes – we will be working with partners to improve outcomes for those in housing need. 4. Legal - None. Property/Assets – None.
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PUBLIC 5. Property/Assets - None 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights – (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report and it is for noting only. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk - None. 11. Privacy Impact - None. 12. Climate Risk – None. 13. Children’s Rights – None. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None. ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) Background paper 1 ‘Homelessness update’ Communities & Housing Policy Board on 28 October 2025. (b) Background paper 2 ‘Homelessness & Housing Support – 2024/25’ Communities & Housing Policy Board on 13 May 2025 (c) Background paper 3 ‘Homelessness in Renfrewshire and Review of Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan’ Communities &Housing Policy Board on 29 October 2024 (d) Background paper 4 ‘Homelessness in Renfrewshire – Update Communities &Housing Policy Board on 21 May. 2024. (e) Background paper 5 ‘Homelessness in Renfrewshire – Update Communities & Housing Policy Board on 16 January 2024. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Tom Irvine, Homeless & Housing Support Services Manager. Email: tom.irvine@renfrewshire.gov.uk