Highland Councillors have agreed in principle to a new scheme to provide temporary accommodation for people who find themselves unintentionally homeless.

Temporary accommodation is currently provided in a number of ways, including through purchasing tendered rooms in Houses of Multiple Occupation.

It is proposed to examine transferring the £2.6m spent on this method and investing it in building new self-contained one-bedroomed flats in small developments away from Inverness city centre.

The Finance Housing and Resources Committee agreed a Council Project Team will consult with partners to develop a business case for the next meeting of the Finance Housing and Resources Committee in April.

Committee Chairman Councillor Dave Fallows said: "I am very pleased that we are progressing this radical new approach to accommodating people who find themselves temporarily homeless. It is a much better way of spending public funds with the advantage of providing purpose built accommodation which can at a later time be brought into our mainstream stock of Council homes."

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Steve Barron, Depute Chief Executive and Director of Housing and Property, said: "Recognition that the Council’s use of tendered rooms in Houses of Multiple Occupation is less attractive both for the tenants and for the Council leads to this proposal for an alternative response to the issue. This new approach would see the Council take its current expenditure on tendered rooms and invest this in building new self-contained one-bedroom flats in small developments across the Highlands.

"These units would be built to the same standard as the general Council house

new build programme. This would involve a kitchen/living room with separate

bathroom and bedroom. They would be located among mainstream Council

housing developments and indeed they would be suitable for use as

mainstream Council housing, should demand patterns change in future.

"The success of this approach will depend on developing appropriate housing and community support services for vulnerable clients aimed at achieving more positive outcomes in terms of independence, employment prospects and healthy lifestyles."

He added: "An enhanced Council build programme would provide an additional boost to

the construction sector in difficult times."

(IT)