We are more than an information service, we are a trusted partner to anyone navigating complex housing challenges. All of our information and advice responds to your specific circumstances.
What to expect
We have produced a short film to explain what will happen when you contact us for support. The script for the film is shown below but the main steps to getting support are:
The main steps to getting support
- 1
You fill in a Get Help form
- 2
One of our brokers gets in touch with you
- 3
You arrange an initial conversation. This can be on the phone, via video call or in person.
- 4
We work with you to understand your needs and priorities, and to give you the information needed to make informed decisions about your housing next steps.
Script for film
The film is presented by our Housing Options Broker Aiesha Marr.
To help you understand how Housing Options Scotland can help you, I’m here to explain more about how we work. While every case is different, there are set things that are going to happen.
You’ll first get in touch with us by giving us some basic information about your circumstances via our Get Help form.
After that’s complete, one of our brokers will contact you to arrange an initial chat.
We’ll listen to your priorities and then begin exploring your housing options, together. Because you’ll have the same broker for the whole of your case, you won’t need to re-explain things. We’ll mostly contact you via email and phone, but we can meet you face-to-face too, if that’s needed.
To help us to support you, we might ask you to sign an agreement so that we can speak to people on your behalf – for example, healthcare professionals or housing providers.
All of our brokers are housing experts so we can advise about all different housing tenures and problems – and we might even come up with some solutions which you didn’t think were possible. We also know what your rights are when it comes to things like adaptations, or if you are facing homelessness.
It’s important to remember that we don’t manage properties ourselves and we can’t influence decision-makers to get you a home quicker. However, we can help you to feel better informed and check that you’ve done everything right so that you can explore your housing options with confidence.
Being a person-centred organisation is at the heart of everything we do. We approach each case with care, compassion, and respect. You may feel you don’t have the knowledge or the words to explain what housing issues you are having difficulty with. It’s our job to help you figure that out, and to help you explore all the possible solutions to the problem.
All of our staff team are experts, though some have specialist expertise on issues such as adaptations or homelessness applications. We try to match clients with the staff member (one of our brokers) who we think will be the best fit for your situation, and we also have access to our bank of ‘associates’, who we can call in for additional support on matters including mortgages and benefits.