Simon Community Scotland Helps Tackle Homelessness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

That the Parliament congratulates the Glasgow-based charity, Simon Community Scotland, and its partners, staff, volunteers and donors on helping keep 2,500 people safe during the lockdown; acknowledges that, four months on from the start of the lockdown, they have not just put a roof over people's heads, but have also helped many people transform their lives, often for the first time, and that 156,000 meals have been served; understands that, in the first 14 days of lockdown, rough sleeping was virtually eradicated from Glasgow and Edinburgh; acknowledges the Scottish Government funding awarded to organisations such as Simon Community Scotland at the start of the lockdown to prevent rough sleeping and for the purchase of hotel accommodation; supports the ongoing commitment from the Scottish Government to find pathways to suitable accommodation post-lockdown, and the re-establishment of the Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Action Group to recommend specific proposals to this end, and believes that, within this approach, Simon Community Scotland will have an important and ongoing role to play.