Rights, needs and stigma: a comparison of homelessness policy in Scotland and Ireland

This paper considers the contrasting approaches to homelessness
in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. Scotland has developed a strong legal
safety net for homeless households, which in effect now gives the vast majority
of homeless households an individually enforceable legal right to settled
housing. This approach has attracted international recognition, reflecting an
emerging consensus that ‘rights-based approaches’ offer the best response
to homelessness. In Ireland, homelessness policy has also become a focal
point for reform. A rights-based approach has been rejected, however, in
favour of a ‘social partnership’ model that seeks to build consensus and
develop a ‘problem solving approach’ among key stakeholders. Drawing on
primary research with national experts, service providers and homeless men
in both jurisdictions, this paper considers whether legal rights better meet the
housing needs of homeless men than alternative approaches and whether they
help mitigate the stigma of homelessness. It is argued that rights-based
approaches crowd out alternative policy objectives, providing a blunt but
effective tool in prioritising housing needs, and help minimise stigma by casting
homeless people as rights-bearers with legitimate entitlements.