North East Charities Team Up for Housing First Scheme

That the Parliament congratulates Aberdeen Cyrenians, Aberdeen Foyer and Turning Point Scotland on teaming up to introduce the Housing First scheme; notes that the aim of the scheme is to provide 60 Housing First tenancies within Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire by March 2020 and a further 60 tenancies by March 2021, with funding of £400,000 over the two-year period; further notes that, as part of the project, wrap-around care will be provided to ensure that clients get help with their social life, bills, benefits and employment; recognises that much of the £400,000 was raised by 1,800 people sleeping in Duthie Park, Aberdeen, in December 2018 at a Social Bite event, and that further money came from the Scottish Government’s Ending Homelessness Together fund; hopes that councils will proactively engage with the scheme to help arrange tenancies, and is encouraged by this holistic approach to managing tenants' needs while making savings in the services involved, including health and social care and the prison service.