Edinburgh’s Homelessness Strategy for 2008 to 2012 has been launched by the City of Edinburgh Council.

The strategy, developed by Edinburgh’s Homelessness Planning Group together with a range of service providers and people experiencing homelessness, aims to ensure homelessness is eradicated in the city by 2012, in line with the Scottish Government’s target.

The strategy focuses on preventing homelessness, providing access to wider housing options and sustaining tenancies. However, Edinburgh City Councillors have warned that without proper investment in affordable housing the Council will fail to reach the ambitious 2012 target.

Also outlined in the strategy is the success of the Edinburgh’s first homelessness strategy from 2002 to 2007 which saw a significant drop in the number of people sleeping rough in the city. From 2003-04 to 2005-06 there was a 24% reduction in people presenting to third party services as homeless, whilst 2005-06 saw a 33% drop in the number of people in Edinburgh completely new to sleeping rough. Edinburgh was the only local authority in Scotland to receive an A grade from Communities Scotland for its achievements in homelessness services.

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Councillor Norman Work, Vice Convener of the Health, Social Care and Housing Committee and Chair of Edinburgh Homelessness Forum said: "The long term vision of the new strategy is to eradicate homelessness in the city. This will not be an easy task in light of the increasing numbers of people approaching the Council as homeless. We need to implement a new approach to prevention and sustainability to work with people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness to ensure they can retain or maintain a tenancy in order to achieve this vision."

Councillor Paul Edie, Housing Convenor, cautioned that the Council would be forced to rely more heavily on temporary accommodation if the number of people presenting as homeless continued to rise as predicted.

He said: "The Council has led Scotland in developing first class services for homeless people. It is the only authority which was awarded an A grade following inspection. However, unless more new affordable homes are built in the city, more homeless people will spend longer periods of time in temporary accommodation."

(GK)