World Homeless Day 2025 is an annual reminder that homelessness is a global phenomenon, from Australia, Africa, Asia and the Americas to Europe, the UK and indeed Scotland.
Ending homelessness needs sustained investment, cross-sector collaboration and political courage to tackle root causes like poverty, housing shortages and social inequality. It’s entirely achievable, yet no country has fully aligned these solutions at scale.
Look at homelessness through an international lens and you’ll find common themes, most obviously in how poverty acts as the engine room of homelessness, how seemingly distant geopolitical events can fuel the problem, and how national economies fail to address poverty and inequality. But you’ll find that approaches to resolving homelessness are not uniform.
As the saying goes, “think global, act local”. We can learn from international experiences but solutions are formed closer to home – through national and local government policy and funding decisions and the interventions of individuals and organisations.
This year’s homelessness conference focuses on the impact of the housing emergency, and the programme reflects all of those factors – but keeps people in the centre of the picture at every step of the 2 days. Find the updated programme here with a full list of speakers and sessions. Hope you can join us at Perth Concert Hall on 27 and 28 October.
Elsewhere this month, you’ll find a wide range of reports, statistics, commentary, campaigns, research and opportunities. Enjoy your reading, wherever you are.
