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£12 Million To Close Glasgow's Outdated Homeless Hostels
09/11/2000
Glasgow's old style homeless hostels are to be phased out as part of a programme to tackle street homelessness in the city.
Over ?12 million will help to replace them with supported accommodation which better meets the needs of homeless people, Social Justice Minister Jackie Baillie said today.
She was responding to recommendations in the Glasgow Review Team report on street homelessness. The Team - which includes Glasgow City Council, Greater Glasgow Health Board, Glasgow Council for Single Homeless, The Big Issue, and Strathclyde Police - has been looking at ways of improving accommodation provision and ensuring that rough sleepers with health, drugs, or alcohol problems get the support they need.
The report finds that 6,500 people in Glasgow have experience of sleeping rough or living in a hostel every year. Each night, 2,000 people are accommodated in large homeless hostels - many of which are unsuited to dealing with the complex problems they face.
Some of the main recommendation are:
- Closing down Glasgow's large scale hostels;
- Moving residents back into the community with appropriate supported tenancies;
- Small-scale support units for people with acute or chronic needs;
- Health and support services to be developed and delivered to hostel residents;
- A new comprehensive assessment process to assess the needs of homeless people;
- A pilot 'personal assistants' scheme to provide personal support, information and advice for homeless people
Speaking in Parliament, Ms Baillie said:
"It's clear that Glasgow's old, out of date hostels are part of the homelessness problem and not part of the solution. I am pleased to endorse the Review Team's conclusions and recommendations.
"The lack of support services means that, for many, hostels have become a semi-permanent home rather than a stop-gap to a more settled life. The figures are stark. Around 50% of single homeless people in Glasgow have long-term physical health problems, 41% of under 25s have drug problems, 61% of over 35s have drink problems.
"Hostels were never designed to cope with this - they are too big, too basic and outdated. Despite the best efforts of staff, conditions are getting worse. Around a third of those sleeping rough in the city have been barred from the hostels, and many others would rather sleep rough than use them.
"We must break this cycle of decline and move people back into mainstream society. That's why we're committing ?12.5 million over the next three years to support Glasgow's closure programme and to develop supported accommodation. This is on top of the ?2 million already allocated this year to get work underway.
"Glasgow has an acute homelessness problem, by far the worst in Scotland. But by working together in a joined-up way, with new investment and better services, we can make a real difference to people's lives."
Councillor Charles Gordon, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said:
"While there is no shortage of housing in Glasgow, it must be accepted that the phrase 'homeless people' covers a multitude of individuals, most of whom have a complex mix of social and medical problems which render them incapable of a tenancy.
"I welcome not only the broad aims of this report, which acknowledges the need for a co-ordinated approach in dealing with such individuals, but also the fact that the Scottish Executive will provide additional necessary resources to the relevant agencies. The solving of this problem is not one which lies exclusively with Glasgow City Council, but we are committed, in partnership with other agencies, to doing all we can to prevent anyone having to sleep on the streets."
Steve Ebbit, Convenor of Glasgow Council for Single Homeless, said:
"We would like to acknowledge and show appreciation for all the hard work that has gone into the production of this Report by the Review Team.
"We support the recommendations it contains, and recognise the great opportunity that now exists to radically change the face of homelessness in the city and tackle its manifestation."
Professor Hamblen, Chairman of Greater Glasgow Health Board, said:
'The Greater Glasgow Health Board has become increasingly concerned with the mounting numbers of homeless people on the streets of the city, many of whom have related problems of drug abuse, alcoholism, and chronic physical and mental health.
"We were pleased to have the opportunity of participating in the Team set up to review the problem and welcome the publication of their report. This highlighted the need to improve the effectiveness of health services delivered to homeless people and we are already working in collaboration with the City Council and other agencies to achieve this goal."
Membership of Glasgow Review Team
- David Belfall (Chair) Scottish Executive
- Louise Carlin, Until recently Co-ordinator, Rough Sleepers Initiative in Glasgow
- Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Department of Urban Studies, Glasgow University
- Rab Murray, Depute Director of Social Work, Glasgow City Council
- Liz Nicholson, Director, Shelter Scotland
- Catriona Renfrew, Director of Commissioning, Greater Glasgow Health Board
- Ian Robertson, Hamish Allan Centre
- Margaret Taylor, Director, Glasgow Council for Single Homeless
- Supt Ian Todd, Strathclyde Police
- Margaret Vass, Depute Director of Housing, Glasgow City Council
- Mel Young, Director, The Big Issue in Scotland
- Lindsay Manson }
- Douglas Blair } Scottish Executive (Secretariat)
BACKGROUND
1. The Glasgow Review Team was set up in November 1999. It reports to the Homelessness Task Force, chaired by Jackie Baillie. The Review Team's remit was : 'to conduct a thorough and fundamental strategic review of the current efforts to tackle the problems of street homelessness in Glasgow; to determine what in addition needs to be done to improve the provision of accommodation, in particular hostel accommodation, and social and other support for people with complex support needs; and to make recommendations for action.'
2. There are around 2,300 places in all hostels for the homeless in Glasgow. Glasgow City Council owns eight (1,186 places), there are 44 run by the voluntary sector (893 places) and three commercial hostels - the Great Eastern, Bellgrove Hotel and Monteith Hotel (243 places).
3. Media copies of the Glasgow Review Team report are available from David Gow on 0131 244 2952. Non media copies are available from Jim Cook on 0131 244 7374. The report is also on www.scotland.gov.uk/homelessness
News Release: SE2885/2000
9 Nov 2000