‘Well-placed to help homeless’

sleeping, it’s never really been a significant challenge in Dundee.

“And even where you see people begging on the streets, for example, almost all of them will have accommodation – that isn’t necessarily the reason they are on the streets, begging for some money and looking for some support.

“So Dundee’s been well-placed in terms of the amount and supply of accommodation we’ve had. PreCovid-19, for eight years, Dundee was one of the councils that had never had to use B&Bs to house the homeless, for example. And that was a real positive thing for us.

“And that’s because we’ve deployed a real partnership model, working with the likes of Action for Children, looking at Transform, and building a series or network or accommodation of different types – furnished and unfurnished, flats, houses, etc – to try to meet the needs and demands on that service.”

Mr Alexander, who represents the Strathmartine ward, said that more than £5 million was spent by the local authority each year to tackle homelessness.

He added: “Dundee is often held up as an exemplar in this area because of the work we do, and I think many other local authorities have learned from that as well and are trying to adopt that strategy.

“We are turning no one away, even during this crisis. If somebody requires support or accommodation, then we have an ability to be able to provide that, and we will absolutely do that, and leave no stone unturned to support them – whether it’s during this crisis or after.”

John Alexander