Homelessness solutions need to be long term - Kate Wallace
It has only been a month since I last wrote here but a lot has happened. Andy Burnham has doubled down on his promise to end rough sleeping, pledging £442m to get people in England off the streets before Christmas.
This week the Scottish Government re-instated their pledge to build 110,000 more social homes. Homelessness is the top priority of the UK and Scottish Governments. And it needs to be.
Last week I was told that at last count there were 84 people sleeping rough in Edinburgh. This is worryingly high, having increased from 63 last September – and likely not the full picture.
It is to be celebrated that Edinburgh has managed to reduce its ‘failure to accommodate’ figure down from 52 per cent but it is still 26 per cent - and it is clear that a big problem remains.
In light of the UK Government’s renewed focus on rough sleeping, any additional funding that comes to Scotland must be spent on solutions to this problem. No-one wants to spend Christmas in the cold – and it is shocking that anyone has to.
Crisis measures for rough sleeping are always vital - people’s lives are at stake. But if we are to end homelessness for good, then we need to tackle this from a preventative angle too. We need both approaches.
There are many routes into homelessness - it can happen to almost anyone. But that threat is much closer for some people. Women leaving abusive relationships, young people coming out of care, people leaving prison or psychiatric hospital - these are the groups of people Cyrenians have worked with for decades.
And if it’s predictable, it is preventable. Homelessness prevention could look like time spent with our mediation team or long term supported accommodation for people with mental health support needs, for example. But it could also be the right question, asked by the right person, at the right time.
In this respect, the UK Government has a lot of catching up to do with the Scottish Government. Ask and Act – which asks people working in places like hospitals and prisons to play an active part in finding out and acting on the risk of homelessness – will soon be a legal requirement here.
New Rapid Access Accommodation is being acquired in Edinburgh and could come even quicker if the money allocated to Scotland via the ‘Barnett Formula’ is targeted at this problem.
This accommodation could end homelessness as Andy Burham intended – but only if it’s accompanied by longer term solutions moulded to the needs of its occupants. Many people experiencing rough sleeping need more than just a roof over their head, they need long term support.
Andy Burnham’s focus on rough sleeping is a positive first step. And 110,000 more social homes in Scotland would make a powerful difference.
But if we are to ‘end homelessness’, we need to see evidence that both the UK and the Scottish Government’s pledges are supported by investment in support services, that prevent people from rough sleeping and then help them maintain a tenancy.
Cyrenians CEO