Thank you, convener.
It is almost two years since we achieved the 2012 homelessness commitment, which was widely recognised as being the most progressive homelessness legislation in Europe. Since then, we have seen a culture change in the way in which homelessness services are delivered in Scotland. The development of the housing options approach by local authorities has resulted in homelessness services that focus on the individual or family and on securing the best and most sustainable housing outcome. Local authorities have attributed to that approach the continued fall in levels of homelessness in recent years and, importantly, the better outcomes for homeless people.
The Scottish Government has established five local authority-led hubs, which involve local authorities and their partners working together to develop and implement homelessness prevention approaches. The Government continues to support and facilitate the work of the housing options hubs. We are providing £150,000 of on-going support funding for 2014-15 to assist the hubs in continuing to develop strategies on homelessness prevention, including welfare reform mitigation.
We are also committed to continual improvement in the provision of housing options. We are working with our local authority partners and others to develop housing options guidance for local authorities, as recommended in a recent Scottish Housing Regulator report.
Housing support can have a crucial impact in the context of addressing homelessness and sustaining tenancies, particularly among vulnerable groups. Last week, newly revised housing support guidance was published, to assist local authorities as they implement the duty to provide housing support to homeless households, which was introduced in 2013.
More broadly, the experience of the first year of implementation of the duty does not suggest that there has been a significant impact on the delivery of local authority services. That is because most local authorities were already providing support for homeless households. However, the guidance has developed joint working at corporate level in local authorities and between local authorities and their partners who deliver housing support.
The Scottish Government is committed not only to preventing homelessness wherever possible but to delivering at least 30,000 affordable homes during this parliamentary session, of which 20,000 will be for social rent. I am pleased that, two thirds into the five years, we have delivered 21,322 affordable homes, of which 15,088 are for social rent. That is 75 per cent of our social rent target.
The Scottish Government recognises that progress on addressing homelessness in Scotland has been made against a backdrop of difficult economic times and welfare reforms, which pose a significant threat to future progress. We are committed to working with partners to make an impact where we can do.
Early intervention is key to reducing homelessness. The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with local authorities and their partners to prevent homelessness from occurring.