Hotels, self-contained flats and university residences could be used to house Edinburgh's homeless during corona crisis

New homelessness taskforce set up by city council

The council has pledged to do all it can for everyone who is or becomes homeless

A CRISIS task force has been set up to find accommodation for the Capital’s homeless.

And talks are under way about using hotels, self-contained flats and halls of residence to provide somewhere for individuals and families to stay during the coronavirus pandemic.

City council leader Adam McVey said the local authority was working with homelessness organisations and the private sector in a bid to ensure the safety of people who are or become homeless.

The new Additional Accommodation Needs Team, which includes officers from the council’s homelessness, health and social care and procurement services, will co-ordinate support and seek to increase the number of safe places for homeless people to stay, for the purposes of self-isolation.

The council said the continued delivery of care packages including food, alongside the use of bed spaces in vacant hotels, self-contained flats and university halls of residence were among the measures being actively and urgently explored.

“This is alongside ongoing support for rough sleepers who we consider to be very vulnerable to the virus.

“The team will build on work which has already been underway in Edinburgh to move families in shared temporary accommodation like B&Bs into self-contained places to live, and to keep Edinburgh's homeless shelters and street-based outreach services open for as long as possible.”

Councillor McVey said the council was committed to doing all it could during the crisis to support everyone who is or becomes homeless.

He said: “We’ve put a plan in place that will help us ensure the safety of people experiencing homeless in the city, thanks to the incredible efforts of our housing officers and third sector partners who have been working nonstop to explore options for how we continue to care for those who need it most.

“We'll be exploring all options to make sure our most vulnerable families and residents can still get the help they need while following the Scottish Government’s clear instructions.

"This is clearly a very challenging time for our teams and our city so I’m pleased we’ve had a very positive response from the private sector to our appeal for extra accommodation.”

Depute council leader Cammy Day said the taskforce had an incredible responsibility and challenge ahead of it.

“They will constantly be checking the numbers of rooms we might need, working in the face of a national lockdown to prioritise our city's most vulnerable people. They need to do this while factoring in the additional support needs many individuals who experience homeless will have.

"It's not going to be easy but we are all in this together. Hotels and other organisations are already responding to our call and we’re urgently looking at how we join forces as a city at this very difficult time."