National count of homeless needed

A national audit should be carried out to establish the number of people sleeping rough on Scotland’s streets, organisations dealing with homelessness have insisted.

The group Homeless Action Scotland,which includes councils, housing associations and the third sector, said the last nationwide count was 14 years ago.

It is now demanding a fresh assessment, with chief executive Gavin Yates stating: “It is essential we get a real idea of the scale of the issue.”

In addition, it wants ministers to focus efforts on eradicating rough sleeping, saying there should be an ambition to end this by the end of 2022.

Currently figures on rough sleeping are an estimate, based on the information people give to councils when they declare themselves homeless.