Home Connections CEO Ninesh Muthiah discusses Housing Options innovations, a topic which will feature at the upcoming CIH Scotland Housing Innovation & Technology Showcase, 27 October, Glasgow

The Housing Options approach promulgated by the Scottish Government has led to notable successes in reducing homelessness in Scotland. Regional Hubs are leading the way in delivering housing options across Scotland. Innovations, like ending the right to buy, suggest that Scotland is at the forefront of housing modernisation across the UK.

Housing bodies welcomed the end of Right to buy scheme in Scotland, due to the policy’s considerable contribution to the shortage of acute social housing. It is believed that ‘Right to buy’ policy has no place in modern Scotland. So, what does?

In times like this, when the availability of truly affordable housing is limited, the need for innovative solutions in the sector is even greater.

It is recognised by some that new housing solutions are increasingly sought after and one such company has taken the lead in developing a simple yet ingenious housing mobility scheme called Homefinder UK that combines the advertising of hundreds of immediately available homes with active ‘brokered case management’.

This service involves close interaction with homeless applicants or social tenants and landlords to offer and support longer distance moves from high to low demand areas by combining human support with digital intelligence. There are many thousands of good quality lower demand social homes across Scotland, as well as England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For a minority of applicants who are prepared to consider this option this has led to a life changing, positive transformation.

This approach has proven to be especially successful with Homeless Households and Domestic Violence Survivors seeking to find secure & permanent social housing in another part of the country. Ensuring that safety, discretion and support are in the forefront of minds of all involved is the key to managing these moves successfully.

This topic will be discussed in more detail during the session “What are the benefits of integrating housing application services?” at the CIH Scotland Housing Innovation & Technology Showcase – 27 October, Glasgow. Free for members and from £10 for non members.