Youth Homelessness charity is seeking legal support to structure lease agreements for their Empty Homes Project

What do they need help with?

Rock Trust is progressing an ambitious Empty Homes Project in partnership with Fife Council, aimed at increasing access to safe and affordable housing for young people. As part of the project, Fife Council will purchase five long-term empty residential properties. Rock Trust will then carry out extensive renovations to bring the homes up to a suitable standard for occupation.

Once complete, the properties will be leased to Rock Trust at a peppercorn rent. The charity will then rent the homes to young people aged 16–25 at highly affordable rates, providing both housing and tailored support to help them build stability and move on from homelessness.

Rock Trust is seeking pro bono legal support to structure, review and approve the lease agreements between the organisation and Fife Council. This will ensure the arrangements are robust, sustainable and aligned with the project’s social purpose.

Support is needed to:

• Advise on lease structure between a local authority and charity
• Review draft lease agreements and identify risks or gaps
• Ensure compliance with relevant property and charity law
• Support final approval of lease terms

This work will play a critical role in unlocking homes for young people who would otherwise face homelessness or unsafe living situations. The project forms part of Rock Trust’s wider strategy to expand its property portfolio and scale innovative housing solutions across Scotland.

Timeline

As soon as possible

About the organisation

Rock Trust is Scotland’s leading youth homelessness charity, working to ensure that no young person is without a safe place to call home. The organisation supports young people aged 16–25 to avoid, resolve and move on from homelessness, helping them build the skills, confidence and stability needed for adulthood.

In 2023–24, Rock Trust supported 1,129 young people across eight local authority areas. Their services include housing support, counselling, employability programmes and access to safe accommodation through initiatives such as Youth Housing Hubs and Housing First for Youth.

Youth homelessness remains a critical issue in Scotland, with around 7,500 young people presenting as homeless each year—around 25% of all applications. Many more remain hidden, living in unsafe or unstable conditions. Rock Trust works at both a service delivery and national policy level, influencing systems and standards to create long-term change and ensure no young person is left behind.

http://www.rocktrust.org