The Chair of the Senedd’s Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee has issued a statement in response to the Auditor General for Wales report on rough sleeping, which was issued today, Thursday 23 July.
The Committee Chair, John Griffiths MS, says:
“The Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee has prioritised homelessness and rough sleeping. We have taken evidence and produced detailed reports with recommendations to tackle the issues involved. Only last week, we heard about the live challenges facing individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including those sleeping rough, and the pressures on those services that provide support. We also heard about the monumental effort being made by all partners, within local authorities and the third sector to get people off the streets at the height of the pandemic. What has been achieved is significant and impressive, and we hope that this can be built upon to meet the Welsh Government’s aim of making homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated.
“I welcome the Auditor General’s report and echo his call for public services to capitalise on their response to the COVID-19 crisis through a step-change in approach, shifting resources to focus on prevention. Looming economic challenges that could otherwise drive more homelessness and rough sleeping make this all the more important. We will continue to hold the Welsh Government to account on this important issue in the coming months, and this report will help inform our scrutiny.”
The Audit Wales report - Rough Sleeping in Wales – Everyone’s Problem; No One’s Responsibility - is available here
