Nationwide scheme ‘needed to beat homelessness’

A Scotland-wide Housing First scheme should be introduced to help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, a Holyrood committee has said.

The housing model prioritises a person’s unconditional right to a permanent home without the need to engage with housing support services or several levels of temporary accommodation first.

The scheme, which has been piloted in some parts of Scotland, has been used effectively in Finland, the only country in Europe where homelessness has declined.

Its expansion across the country is one of a series of recommendations in a report by the local government and communities committee. It follows the committee’s yearlong inquiry into homelessness.

The latest figures show councils received more than 34,800 applications for homelessness assistance in the year to last September.