Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
MSPs give backing to Shelter campaign
Monklands’MSPs gave their backing to Shelter Scotland’s latest campaign as they met representatives of the homelessness charity at Holyrood.
Alex Neil and Fulton MacGregor heard about the Far From Fixed initiative, which highlights the human cost of rough sleeping and calls for urgent action in tackling the issue.
They were presented with localised figures showing the impact of a shortage of housing and support.
The campaigners also highlighted how a household becomes homeless every 19 minutes and that Scottish Government figures indicate the number of children in temporary accommodation was at a six-year high, as well as an increase in people sleeping rough before applying to their local councils for help in the past year.
Airdrie & Shotts representative Mr Neil said:“Housing shortage is a top priority throughout Scotland – nationally, about 140,000 people are on council house waiting lists, about 10 per cent of which are in North Lanarkshire.
“I fully back Shelter Scotland’s campaign, and they rightly highlight the unacceptable number of people without permanent accommodation across Scotland.”
Mr MacGregor, his Coatbridge & Chryston counterpart, added:“It was really informative to speak with Shelter and get a real feel with how homelessness is affecting so many in Scotland.
“I was happy to see that North Lanarkshire are generally performing well in offering support to those who are homeless, but there is still room for improvement.”
He added:“I’m pleased that new actions will be put in place to further tackle rough sleeping this winter, and hope this will make a real impact and contribute towards ending rough sleeping once and for all.”The Far From Fixed campaign demands safe and affordable homes for all, help for everyone to keep or find a home, a strong housing safety net and that“no-one should ever have to sleep rough on Scotland’s streets”. Shelter Scotland director Graeme Brown added:“I am heartened to see MSPs showing support for our campaign.
“We really need those from across the political spectrum to work together with us to make an even bigger difference.”