Radical plan could move hundreds off city streets
Political Correspondent HUNDREDS of homeless people with the most complex needs in Glasgow could benefit from a radical model of tackling homelessness approved by the Scottish Government.
New ‘rapid re-housing’ recommendations from the Rough Sleeping Action Group to tackle rough sleeping have been accepted by the Housing Minister.
One of the recommendations is Housing First where homeless people are taken from the streets and given a permanent home instead of temporary accommodation, with intensive support given for the complex problems that led to them being homeless in the first place.
Glasgow charities working with homeless people said Housing First revolutionises the model in Glasgow and they were excited by the announcement.
Housing Minister Kevin Stewart announced the Government has accepted i n principle the new recommendations.
Turning Point in Glasgow has run a smaller scale Housing First programme in Glasgow since 2011 helping more than 40 people into permanent housing with 12 social housing providers.
They have said in those seven years they have had no evictions and have recommended having 500 homes in Glasgow for Housing First to meet the need.
Glasgow City Mission with other charities also purchased 25 homes to operate a Housing First programme for vulnerable people.
Grant Campbell, Glasgow City Mission chief executive, said: “I am hugely excited that the Scottish Government have backed all the recommendations to end rough sleeping in Scotland - if implemented properly the potential impact is significant. Many of these recommendations tackle real world challenges we face on a daily basis. I’m delighted to see the emphasis placed on Housing First.
“This is an evidence-based solution which has the potential to change many lives.
“Many of the highly vulnerable people we work with are caught in a revolving door that sees people lose their tenancy, find themselves on the streets, prison or hospital, and then spend a long time working their way back through the system to receive new accommodation again, only for the cycle to start again.”
The model is used more widely in the USA and in Finland where it is considered a success, providing a permanent solution to homelessness for people.
Mr Campbell added: “Housing First turns the city’s existing accommodation model on its head. No longer will people need to progress through different types of accommodation before they are deemed suitable and trustworthy to have their own permanent tenancy. Instead, they will receive their house first as the name suggests and then the necessary wraparound support to sustain the tenancy.
“Crucially, this support is flexible and tailored to the needs of the individual, not a one-size-fits-all ap- proach. Having the stability of a home that is yours means people take a sense of ownership of it and are less likely to return to the streets”.
Around three thousand people in Glasgow each year are placed in temporary accommodation while they await an offer of a permanent home.
Jon Sparkes, chair of the Rough Sleeping Action group and chief executive of Crisis UK, said: “Nobody in Scotland should have to endure the danger and indignity of sleeping rough, and these recommendations show what is needed to prevent people from being forced to live on the streets.”