Final Report of the Homelessness Task Force

As an amendment to motion S1M-02838 in the name of Iain Gray (Homelessness Task Force), leave out from “welcomes” to end and insert “notes the publication of the final report of the Homelessness Task Force, Homelessness: An Action Plan for Prevention and Effective Response, two and a half years after its inception; condemns the fact that homelessness applications to local authorities have reached record levels during that period, under the Scottish Executive, and remain close to that level; notes with concern the Executive’s decision to accept the task force’s recommendations in full without prior debate, particularly the proposals to phase out the category of priority need and to remove the local connection requirements, and calls on the Executive to take a less prescriptive approach and allow local authorities the flexibility they require in order to address the individual needs of homeless people in their areas.