From Support for families at risk of homelessness Published 05 November 2026 09:52

£2 million funding boost for housing payment scheme. A scheme helping low-income households avoid homelessness will receive an additional £2 million this year. The Discretionary Housing Payment scheme provides direct financial support to low-income households struggling with housing costs and helps people to retain their tenancy in the rented sector. The additional funding takes this year’s investment in the scheme to a record £117 million. This will help an estimated 100,000 households in Scotland sustain their tenancies. The scheme is the main way the Scottish Government mitigates the impacts of the UK Government’s ‘bedroom tax’ and benefit cap. https://www.gov.scot/news/support-for-families-at-risk-of-homelessness/

This scheme is not unique but far more accessible and generous in Scotland. Compared with the above £117m, England & Wales have allocated around £106m for between 11 and 12 times the population. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-financial-year-2024-to-2025

Scotland also has other distinctive homelessness policies. There is the abolition of the “priority need” test since 2012, so all unintentionally homeless people are entitled to settled accommodation. We have stronger prevention duties in recent legislation. Those go beyond the specific DHP announcement, but they reinforce Scotland’s different overall approach compared with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, to prevent homelessness happening in the first place.