EDINBURGH City Council yesterday launched a bid for an extra #1m of Government money to help those sleeping rough in the capital.
The council's latest strategy is aimed at permanent housing and full independence for the homeless. For the first time, support services will move with them as they progress from the street to the hostel and to independence.
Ms Elaine Scott, the council's Rough Sleepers Initiative director, said the aim is to deal with the underlying problems of rough sleepers. She said: ''It isn't enough just to give them a house. This approach just leads to a cycle of failed tenancies. Our bid gives them the help and support they need to make a go of their own homes.''
The city has already received #4.4m from the first round of RSI allocations, but another #3-#4m is available in a second round across Scotland.
Over a third of the #1m would be spent on a tenancy support service, which would help the homeless set up home. The six-month package would include benefits advice, housekeeping skills, budgeting, and help with furniture.
A spokesman for the Scottish Council for the Single Homeless welcomed the commitment to help the homeless settle into permanent homes. He said: ''The most important thing is to make sure that homeless people become happily housed people. This prosposal is on exactly the right lines.''
Meanwhile, the city's beggars have drawn a code of conduct in a move to stave off the introduction of a council by-law. The code gives beggars guidance on how to avoid harassing the public and warns them against swearing or intimidating passers-by.
Councillor Lindsay Walls who represents the city's Morningside area, hopes to see a blanket ban on begging in Edinburgh and has called for a begging by-law.
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