Why this exists

I first saw the gap early in my career: sitting with a 19-year-old single mum, proud of her first flat, determined to make it work, and asking a million questions. I wanted to help, but I felt ill-equipped. What stuck with me was how someone could reach that point after being in contact with so many professionals, yet still have so little clarity or support to draw on. That moment was the seed of the idea.

Since then, I've worked in and around housing support and community justice, and I've repeatedly seen the same pattern:

• early signs are often present
• professionals spot something "not quite right"
• the hard bit is knowing whether to push, what to ask, and what support exists
• by the time the system reacts, options are narrower and the work is harder

Ask & Act creates the opportunity to do this earlier. We now also have the technology to support professionals with real-time access to consistent guidance, and to learn from what people say before crisis hits.

Christopher Parker, Founder, Ask:Enact

The challenge in practice

Scotland's Ask & Act duties shift expectations towards earlier, preventative responses to homelessness risk across housing, health, justice, social care and other services.

In practice, early signs of housing insecurity:

• are rarely clear-cut
• emerge gradually or sit alongside other issues
• often fall outside a professional's core expertise
• surface in routine interactions where time is limited

Common barriers to early action include:

When those barriers are present, opportunities for early intervention are missed and support is delayed until situations escalate.