Battle on homeless needing hostel places gets approval
A FIVE-YEAR action plan to prevent homeless people finding shelter in temporary accommodation and hotels including the Bellgrove has been approved.
Following the Scottish Government’s objective to eradicate homelessness throughout the country, Glasgow City Council has been working on a proposal to make this happen.
The strategy is expected to cost the council £18 million. The local authority receives at least 5300 homeless applications each year with 4300 deemed unintentional.
Speaking at the city administration committee, Councillor Mhairi Hunter said: “The plan was prepared for the Scottish Government who have required every local authority to develop a rapid rehousing transition plan which sets out the five-year transition to securing settled housing for all homeless households as quickly as possible.
“We hope the outcome will mean the use of temporary accommodation is minimised. In order to develop the plan we have engaged with a range of stakeholders and those who have experienced homelessness.
“Rapid rehousing is a central pillar in the wider strategy to tackle homelessness across the city. There are three key components to making it work.”
“The housing options approach focusses on the prevention of homelessness, maintaining it and strengthening that goal with our partners, managing and processing homelessness applications as quickly as we possibly can, rapidly meeting the needs of homeless households and improving access to the 68 housing associations in Glasgow.
“It is also intended that we will ensure there is no longer any need for private hotels, for example the Bellgrove which has been a longstanding issue. We don’t refer people to the Bellgrove [but they do].”
Members agreed it was important to prevent people in this situation from staying in hotels long-term but to find them housing instead.
Councillor Matt Kerr said: “The Bellgrove is a well-documented example of what we don’t want. It has been a struggle within the department for many years to try and divert people away from there.
“The issue has always been that there are people who sadly choose to go there.
“They need different options. How do we take this to the next level? We can’t force them not to go there.”
A council officer said: “Our plans are a combination of looking at some of the things we haven’t tried before. We are looking at the managed alcohol programme and we are sure we are going to be successful in attracting funding from the Scottish Government.
“The programme allows them to continue to drink in a harm-reduced approach and we know that alcohol addiction is much greater for people going to the Bellgrove than drug addiction. We have managed to sustain a couple of people who have never had their own tenancies who are in their 40s.”
Members agreed the strategy unanimously.
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