No one will be forced to go back on to the street Campaigner’s joy at housing guarantee
HOMELESS people in Scotland have been given a guarantee that they will be given decent homes and none will be forced on to the street.
The emphatic pledge by the Scottish Government came after the Record repeatedly highlighted the plight of street sleepers who were finally given priority during the pandemic.
We told earlier how ministers put all Scottish councils on notice that they should put a roof over the heads of homeless.
But after discussions this week, a decision was made that central cash will be set aside to provide indefinite hotel rooms to those who need them until proper long-term accommodation can be found.
The pledge comes after the Record exposed the tawdry state of some hotel rooms offered to asylum seekers.
The big turnaround was revealed in a letter to campaigner Sean Clerkin from the Scottish Government’s Housing Support and Homelessness Unit.
He was told: “It may be worth highlighting that over £1.5million has been provided so far to third sector organisations to enable them to acquire emergency hotel accommodation for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness.
“This support will not be removed until we have a safe way of moving people on from this accommodation into a home that suits their needs.
“The Scottish Government are taking measures to ensure that no one will return to the streets post-coronavirus and that ending homelessness remains our priority.
“Our ambition is to capitalise on the unique opportunity we have and secure our goal of ending homelessness in Scotland.”
Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “We have made clear that this is a unique opportunity to lock in a change and realise our ambition of ending homelessness and rough sleeping in Scotland.
“That is why our priority is to ensure no one returns to rough sleeping following the pandemic. Our strong homeless laws mean that every council in Scotland has a statutory responsibility to offer a minimum of temporary accommodation and advice and assistance to all homeless households and those at risk of homelessness.
“This will be a major challenge and take sustained effort from all parties so we will work with councils and other partners in the vital next stage of this work to ensure we support people into settled homes.”
The strong position on homelessness has emerged after the intervention of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group, which made a series of recommendations on June 24 after meeting to route an emergency pathway through the pandemic.
Sean, of the Scottish Tenants Organisation, said the Scottish Government’s words show it is serious about ending homelessness but said it must keep funding in the long term.
He said: “I’m delighted that the Scottish Government has given an absolute assurance that all homeless people, including those with no recourse to public funds, will continue living in selfcontained accommodation.”