The funding is part of a multi-million pound package of measures from the Scottish Government to improve access to learning, advice and employment support for low-income families.

Communities secretary Aileen Campbell has set out the next steps of a plan to help lift parents and families out of poverty, backed by the £50m Tackling Child Poverty Fund.

The Scottish Government invested over £1.4 billion in direct support for households on low incomes last year. 

As well as the homelessness prevention funding, that will be further enhanced with new funding including:

• an additional £4m for initiatives to enhance family incomes by improving access to work and work progression
• £500,000 for a new Family Learning Scotland Programme to help parents gain new skills through learning and training
• £1m to build on good practice and help improve the life chances of young parents and their children

Ms Campbell said: “As the only country in the UK with ambitious income-based targets to eradicate child poverty, we are taking bold action, right across government to support families at every stage of life.

“The new devolved benefits offer support in the early years, from pregnancy through to starting school, and will be followed next year by the transformative new Scottish Child Payment which will put more money in the pockets of families. 

“The cost of childcare can be a barrier for parents and carers looking to take up employment, increase their working hours, or study.

“So our commitment to increase childcare support is coupled with enhanced employment support that will tackle inequalities by helping more parents into work.

“Employment must be a reliable route to a better living standard and we will continue to promote the real living wage, bringing salary increases to low earners.”