You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Letters reveal war of words over Glasgow Council’s homelessness cuts
The Scottish government and Glasgow City Council have clashed over cuts to local homelessness services.
Kevin Stewart, Scotland’s housing minister, and Mhairi Hunter, Glasgow City Council’s city convener for health and social care integration, exchanged strongly worded letters in May.
Mr Stewart wrote to Ms Hunter following a decision by the Glasgow City Integration Board, which she co-chairs, to cut £2.6m from charities providing beds for homeless people.
This meant 68 beds being removed from the 974 temporary accommodation beds in the city – a reduction of 7%.
Mr Stewart wrote that he was “concerned” to hear about the cut “at a time when there is a strong, concerted national effort to end homelessness”.
The minister added: “I expect you will proceed with appropriate regard to the statutory and moral duties to meet housing and support needs for people in vulnerable positions.
“I trust you will make best use of the advice and guidance provided through your ongoing engagement.”
READ MORE
Responding to the minister’s letter, Ms Hunter said the cut was “part of the modernisation of our homelessness services and represent a disinvestment in outdated forms of support and accommodation”.
Describing it as a “difficult decision”, she said that decreasing the amount of emergency accommodation in the city was part of the council’s transition to Housing First – an anti-homelessness strategy that involves giving housing to rough sleepers immediately and then building support around that.
According to Ms Hunter, Glasgow City Council is investing £7m in Housing First. People using Housing First would not need temporary accommodation.
The letters were released to the Scottish Tenants Organisation under the Freedom of Information Act and shared with Inside Housing.
Sean Clerkin, campaign co-ordinator at the Scottish Tenants Organisation, told Inside Housing: “It’s quite clear from these letters that they’re not in control of the homelessness crisis.
“The Scottish government inherited a £450m surplus from the last financial year, which they’ve put into their contingency reserves. They should be using some of that money to enhance funding for homelessness services throughout Scotland.”
The news follows revelations by Inside Housing that councils’ estimate of the cost of delivering a homelessness policy is more than eight times the amount set aside by the government.
It also comes as Glasgow City Council enters a voluntary review of its homeless policy with the Scottish government.
