TAKE action to reduce homelessness, say Welsh Conservatives
Sadly, homelessness in Wales is on the rise with recent statistics having shown that the number of individuals rough sleeping in Wales has hit its highest level since 2020.
A record 11,000 people in Wales are in temporary accommodation as well as a shocking 3,000 dependent children.
It is clear that, despite the Welsh Government’s White Paper on ending homelessness in Wales being released this week, this will not deliver the desired outcomes of reducing the number of rough sleepers in Wales.
The Welsh Conservatives are bringing forward a debate in the Senedd to highlight the lack of action by the Welsh Government in Cardiff Bay.
Sadly, only a third of local authorities monitor the deaths of homelessness individuals, and only half of those monitor the cause of these deaths.
This is why we are calling on the Welsh Government to establish a Welsh equivalent of the combined Homelessness and Information Network to ensure that sufficient data is available to address homelessness in Wales and the impact that it has.
This database should help support a range of services who worth with and alongside rough sleepers to ensure they have the protection and support they need.
It is clear that homelessness in Wales is not just a housing issue, it is a public health issue.
Only through this data gathering can we clearly get a grip on the scale of homelessness in Wales and how best we can tackle it.
Welsh Ministers themselves have admitted that a co-ordinated and multi-disciplinary action is the most cost-effective measure in tackling homelessness, however they claim that this could be achieved solely through mental health and substance misuse strategies.
This is clearly not the case.
I sincerely hope that Labour ministers listen to our calls to implement a new national database on rough sleepers and recognise the increasing rates of homelessness.
Only through increased information gathering can we enable public services to support the most vulnerable in society.