Rough sleeping summit to tackle homelessness
Political Correspondent A ROUGH sleeping summit is being held in Glasgow today to discuss how to tackle street homelessness in the city.
Politicians, charities who offer services and support as well as people who have been on the streets are sharing ideas and experience to help the city council come up with a new strategy.
The SNP said it would set up a summit within 100 days of taking control of the council in May.
The new administration said it wants to explore the full range of problems that lead to homelessness not just treat it as a housing issue.
A range of organisations who offer support including Turning Point, Simon Community and Glasgow City Mission are attending as well as the Scottish Government housing minister, Kevin Stewart.
The Rough sleeping summit is the first of eight the SNP led council is planning over a number of policy areas.
Mhairi Hunter, City Convenor for Health and Social Care Integration, said tackling homelessness was a priority.
She said: “Rough sleeping is an issue that is causing great concern across the city.
“It indicates a real crisis in the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
“But I am very clear that it is not just a housing issue.
“The summit will be an opportunity to get a better understanding of the complex personal issues that can lead to rough sleeping.”
One of the 10 Evening Times ‘Fix List’ priorities told to us by readers and people in the city which we sent to the new Glasgow City Council Leader, Susan Aitken, was to end the need for rough sleeping in Glasgow.
Ms Aitken responded by stating a Rough Sleeping task force would be set up to work towards eradicating “unintentional homelessness” in Glasgow.
She said: “We have all been disappointed by the ongoing levels of homelessness in Glasgow. While the reasons for homelessness are complex and not the result of council policies we are determined to do all that we can.”
Further summits on topics including education, transport, emergency services, culture, communities and poverty will also take place in the coming months.
The summit will look at services for related issues like addictions and mental health as well as housing.
Provision of shelters and legal and advocacy services will also be discussed.
Ms Hunter added that rough sleeping was a longstanding problem which required a l ong term solution.
She added: “There is a great deal of positive and innovative work currently underway within the city’s homelessness system.
“But to tackle rough sleeping we need to identify where improvements can be made and, to make this happen, we need to be informed by those closest to the problem.
“I certainly don’t expect to have solved rough sleeping by the end of the summit.”