Rough Sleepers Initiative (RSI)
The RSI was launched to reduce levels of people sleeping rough. In 1999, the target of ensuring that by 2003 no one should have to sleep rough in Scotland was introduced. In other words, that there should be enough emergency and short-term accommodation to shelter all possible rough sleepers.
Research carried out in 2004 by George Street Research showed that the target had been narrowly missed. While overall across Scotland there was enough accommodation, this was not the case in every single council area. See the report - Rough Sleepers Initiative: Monitoring the target of ending the need to sleep rough by 2003 - here.
Under RSI, 28 councils are allocated money to ensure that the needs of rough sleepers are met. For example, Glasgow City Council uses this money to fund 'Street Teams' to make contact with rough sleepers and ensure they have access to accommodaiton and support services.
A final evaluation of the initiative was carried out by the University of York and published in March 2005. See the final evaluation of RSI on this link.
Its key findings were that rough sleeping in Scotland had reduced significantly since the start of RSI and that there was a need to continue the initiative because some people were still at risk of becoming rough sleepers. The Executive is currently looking at how the recommendations contained in the evaluation can be taken forward.
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