The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group has made a series of recommendations to tackle homeless in the first place
A group which aims to end rough sleeping in Scotland has made a series of recommendations aimed at transforming temporary accommodation.
The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group was formed last year as part of a £50 million homelessness prevention scheme which aims to fund initiatives over the next five years.
And now the group – which contains representatives from a range of organisations that work with the homeless - has made a series of recommendations.
These include getting the right support in place from day one for people who find themselves without a home and giving more power to front-line workers to help people quickly.
Other recommendations that have been put forward include promoting the widest possible range of options for securing a settled home, setting up personal housing plans for those at risk of homelessness and introducing legally enforceable quality and support standards for temporary accommodation.
Of the 21 recommendations put forward to improve the use of temporary accommodation, 15 have been accepted by the Scottish Government in principle. A further six, relating to the devolution of funding from the UK Government for temporary accommodation, will be analysed further in partnership with local authorities.
Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “These recommendations focus on preventing the need for temporary accommodation in the first place, ensuring the right support and standards are in place where it is needed and will play a vital role in meeting our commitment to end homelessness and transform temporary accommodation, backed by our £50 million fund.”
Jon Sparkes, chair of the group and chief executive of charity Crisis, said that the recommendations are aimed at preventing homelessness in the first place.
He said: “Temporary accommodation should be a short-term response to each person’s homelessness before they quickly move into a permanent and secure place to call home. At the heart of our recommendations are measures to prevent homelessness in the first place, ensure support is available and wider options for more settled housing.
“There should also be legally enforceable standards and a time limit on housing that doesn’t meet basic needs. To implement these changes, the funding system should be fairer and we look forward to working with the Minister and his colleagues on taking plans forward.”
