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Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children, Carl Sargeant, said ending rough sleeping and ensuring every young person can find affordable accommodation which meets their needs are priorities for him.

Addressing a conference to mark the 50th Anniversary of Crisis, the Cabinet Secretary called on organisations to work together to come up with innovative solutions to get people off the streets and into homes of their own. 

Carl Sargeant said:

“We have made significant strides by introducing ground-breaking legislation and have already helped to prevent homelessness for over 8,800 households in Wales since the new homelessness legislation came into force. Yet we face a sharp rise in rough sleeping, and know that young people are experiencing increasing problems in finding accommodation as a base from which to build their futures.

“It is simply unacceptable that some of our fellow citizens continue to sleep on our streets with no decent alternative and I am determined to reduce incidents of rough sleeping.”

The Cabinet Secretary said that the causes of rough sleeping are complex, and often start with poor early life experiences, so it is important to provide tailored support to help people overcome their difficulties.

Carl Sargeant added:

“We need to rethink our strategy to help single vulnerable people avoid or escape homelessness. Our aim must be to secure long term solutions as quickly as possible and focus our resources on supporting people to rebuild their lives in their own homes.”

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