Leader comment: Here's why ending rough sleeping is a moral imperative
While it remains unclear whether the man was homeless and regularly sleeping on the streets, his death adds to a grim tally in Scotland’s capital. According to council figures, ten men and eight women died while sleeping on the streets in the year to March 2016, a rate of more than one every three weeks.
For all the talk of austerity, Scotland is still a well-off country; it should be able to look after the relatively small numbers of people who find themselves, for whatever reason, without a roof over their heads.
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Hide AdSocial Bite, which started as a charitable sandwich shop, says it is “on a mission to end homelessness in Scotland” and it has been making impressive progress.
Its Sleep in the Park event raised £3 million, which will be used to provide homes for 600 rough sleepers.
One small charity has shown us the way. A collective effort by society as a whole could bring its noble mission to a swift conclusion.
The sooner, the better. For somewhere on a cold pavement, time is running out for another human being.