Homeless strategy 'risks making problem worse'

COUNCIL chiefs have been warned a new homeless strategy which aims to limit how long people spend in temporary accommodation could end up making the problem worse and costing more.

Housing charity Shelter Scotland said the city council's proposals put too much emphasis on moving people quickly through the system and risked a rise in repeat homelessness.

The proposed strategy includes speeding up the transition from getting support to living independently and a maximum three-month stay in temporary accommodation.

Gordon MacRae, head of policy for Shelter Scotland, said: "No-one wants people to be stuck in homeless accommodation, but we think an emphasis on speed and cost reductions could create more problems.

"If it means people are being moved on when they are not ready, you will get a revolving door of homelessness and increased costs for the taxpayer. It's better to spend a wee bit more money at the start and make sure people do not become repeatedly homeless."

Serious concerns about the new strategy were also raised in a consultation response from Strategic Homelessness Action Partnership Edinburgh, an umbrella group including Edinburgh Cyrenians, Streetwork, Bethany Christian Trust and the Salvation Army.

It registered "strong disagreement" with many parts of the strategy and argued services had to be flexible.

It said a mandatory three-month turnaround was "overly prescriptive" and "a crude measurement".

Iain McGill, who is the Conservative candidate in the city centre council by-election and has worked with homeless people for the past ten years, said: "This proposal has to go back to the drawing board. It's so far away from what is needed."

In his own submission, he said the strategy implied that "getting somebody into a bed in a dingy B&B" would be seen as a positive outcome when what was needed was prolonged support from professionals.

A council spokesman said the proposed three-month limit was recognition that temporary accommodation was intended to be emergency provision and was not suitable or desirable as a long-term housing. He said: "People who responded have been very supportive in dealing quickly with homelessness. We are taking into account all views submitted."