Radical proposals to tackle homelessness in Moray were discussed yesterday as the council strives to implement a Scottish Government policy.
The scheme, known as a rapid rehousing transition plan, aims to end rough sleeping in Scotland by transforming the use of temporary accomodation.
And now, council officers are drawing up a draft proposal that will see people who declare themselves homeless given a settled mainstream housing outcome as quickly as possible.
Moray already has a relatively low number of rough sleepers and repeat homelessness according to the Housing Need and Demand Assessment 2017, but this new initiative aims to eradicate the problem completely.
These statistics also show that homelessness in the region has remained relatively steady over the last five years.
However, some councillors were concerned the new plan could place added pressure on the region’s significant housing waiting list, with 3500 people already on it.
Buckie councillor Gordon Cowie asked whether the policy would mean that some council houses were held back to accommodate the homeless.
He said: “Is this going to have any negative effect on the houses we have got for council tenants, do we have to keep houses back for this?”
However, Richard Anderson, the head of housing and property at the council, urged members to study the full details before passing judgment.
He said: “I think what we are actually looking at is a transitional plan that makes sense for both the waiting list, the transfer list and the homelessness list.
“It’s clear that we have to do a lot more proactive work in terms of dealing with homelessness but I think I would urge you to wait and see the plan in December.
“This isn’t going to be a big bang effect, this is going to be a plan to take us over the next five years, so it’s going to be an evolving document.”
The Scottish Government has set a deadline of December 31 for a draft rapid rehousing transition plan to be submitted to them, so officers at Moray Council will start the process as soon as possible.