This needs to be monitored as we have seen this problem emerge over
the past twenty years with little but lip service applied. It has
been dealt with in the past and can be dealt with easily enough. Yet
a combination of political correctness and general political timidity
has conspired to produce the present morass.
It has to be ended, even if it is merely paying the person's rent for
him and sorting him out as a matter of course. Most certainly no one
should be left to their own resources in terms of housing and basic
food. A sack of potatoes and a cot go a long way in terms of
sustaining a person and both can be cheaply available on a guaranteed
basis.
Once that is done, it is possible for anyone to begin reorganizing
their lives. It was good enough for the Irish navy in the
nineteenth century and no one has to do brutal work these days.
They can also be organized into a floating labor pool on that basis
to be easily accessed for temporary work. It is never great, but it
gives focus and association which is the beginning.
Scotland Gives
‘Landmark’ Rights to Homeless People
By Alex Johnston
Legislation aiming at
effectively ending homelessness across Scotland has come into effect
this week.
Any Scot who has become homeless through no fault of their own can
receive accommodation, the new law states, according to the Daily
Record newspaper. In the past, it was only people with children and
other priority groups who had that right.
“This is a landmark
day in the fight against homelessness,” Scotland Deputy First
Minister Nicola Sturgeon said, according to the paper. “I know the
heartache and trauma of homelessness from working closely with
households faced with the prospect of losing the roof over their
head.”
The change, which was
passed in December, will give some 3,000 people each year the means
to have a roof over their heads.
“It is absolutely
right to offer this guarantee in a time of crisis for people. It
sends the signal that we are there to help, there is hope, and that
the state will do what it can,” she said.
The measure is part of
a plan that was unveiled around a decade ago to quash homelessness in
Scotland.
“Now is not the time
to pat ourselves on the back. Instead, we need to redouble our
efforts and make sure the commitment works in practice across
Scotland,” Sturgeon added.
Sturgeon said Scotland
has committed around $480,000 over the next two years to provide
local authorities with resources to combat homelessness.
“With homelessness
figures already heading in the right direction, today we have taken a
huge step forward for Scotland,” she said.
The BBC reports that
official figures in February show that Scotland’s homelessness rate
has fallen to its lowest levels in a decade.
Earlier this year, the
Scottish government said it is also attempting to use other measures
to prevent people from reaching the point where they need to seek
government assistance for housing.
Mary Taylor, the head
of the Scottish Federation of Housing Association, said in a
statement in November that “challenges remain in trying to ensure
that an adequate supply of settled accommodation can be realized,”
saying that part of the problem lies in the United Kingdom’s
welfare reforms
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