Homeless people are part of the community

ALASTAIR Cameron, chief executive of Scottish churches Housing Action, has a piece in the Scotsman newspaper arguing that homeless people must be part of the community, not as an abstract 'problem'. 

He writes that: 2012 is a big year for homelessness in Scotland. In 2002, the Scottish Executive decided that within ten years, all homeless people, not just the most vulnerable, would have a priority need for housing. 

Over that same period Scottish Churches Housing Action has developed new, local, volunteer-based activities on homelessness. These include helping set up two dozen starter-pack schemes: projects that gather good-quality second-hand goods and get them to people in need. This helps prevents homelessness and aids tenants who have been homeless to establish home. 

Our message is that homeless people are our neighbours. They have a place in our community, and by showing a welcome, we help include them. 

More here.