A fast-track system to ensure homeless people get back on their feet more quickly could be launched in the north-east.
Social Bite – the charity which organises the hugely successful Sleep in the Park events – has joined with the Scottish Government to offer Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire councils £400,000 to set up a new housing first scheme.
Housing First is a system which offers people affordable, permanent homes as quickly as possible, avoiding lengthy stays in temporary accommodation.
Aberdeenshire already has a pilot scheme, with 18 people so far housed since it was launched in 2017.
This latest proposal, however, would also involve the neighbouring city council and would aim to find homes for 120 people over the next two years.
A “consortium” would be set up, which would also include Aberdeen Cyrenians, Aberdeen Foyer and Turning Point Scotland.
Cyrenians would run the programme day-to-day with support officers and would report back on the progress of the project.
Josh Littlejohn, co-founder of Social Bite, said the charity was hopeful the project could be adopted across the country.
He said: “Social Bite believes this project signifies the dawning of a new era in how Scotland responds to the systemic issue of homelessness.
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“The project’s wider goal is to act as a catalyst for the adoption of housing first across all 32 Scottish local authorities, so it becomes the primary model for combating homelessness as experienced by the most vulnerable people.
“We aim to cause a structural shift away from the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation that perpetuates repeat homelessness, towards people being housed as quickly as possible in permanent homes with appropriate wraparound support.”
A report, which will be discussed by the communities committee on Thursday, has said the local pilot has benefited residents.
The report, signed off by infrastructure chief Stephen Archer, also highlights the cost-effectiveness of the housing first model, with organisations such as health and social care partnerships and the Scottish Prison Service all benefiting.
Councillors will be asked to sign off on the proposal, with the partnership to be sealed with a memorandum of understanding between the organisations if all parties agree.
In December, Social Bite’s Sleep in the Park event at Duthie Park in Aberdeen raised £540,000 towards the fight against homelessness.
The 1,800-strong crowd endured temperatures as low as 2C as well as driving rain and wind.
