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Comhairle nan Eilean Siar HOMELESSNESS SERVICE INSPECTION REPORT

The Scottish Housing Regulator today published its inspection report on Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s homelessness service. It awarded the council a ‘fair’ rating.

The purpose of inspection is to provide an independent external assessment of the effectiveness of homelessness service delivery, and make recommendations to help improvement.

The Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is situated in the north west of Scotland, with a population of at the time of the last census in 2001 of 27,000. Last year it received 252 applications for assistance from homeless people.

Michael Cameron, Head of Inspection at The Scottish Housing Regulator, said:

“Our inspectors found that the Comhairle has a number of strengths. It provides good access to the service and excellent support to homeless people. Its assessment interviews are customer focused and well managed and it makes good decisions. In addition, the Comhairle works well to secure permanent accommodation for homeless people.

“We also found that the Comhairle had a number of weaknesses. The Comhairle has a sound understanding of these and has a strong track record of improving the homelessness service. We are confident that the Comhairle will take effective action to address the weaknesses identified as a result if this inspection”

Cllr Norman A MacDonald, Chair of Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar’s Environment and Protective Services said:

“As a council we have found the Inspection process to have been a very useful one and I would like to thank the Inspection Team for their support and guidance to the Comhairle’s Homeless Services Team throughout the process. The Inspection Report has clearly set out what the Comhairle’s Homeless Service does well but also where improvements have to be made.

We are pleased that the Inspection Report highlighted the good practice already carried out by the Comhairle and praised the staff for the work they do. It is very reassuring to receive this kind of endorsement, particularly as it is such a small team. The Inspection Report has also set out a number of improvements we can bring to the Homeless Service and we are confident we can make good progress in meeting these in the months ahead.

However, there are undoubtedly challenges ahead for the Comhairle and our partners, particularly in trying to meet the serious shortfall in housing supply which obviously has a big impact on the homeless situation. We will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government and Hebridean Housing Partnership to address these challenges.”

NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

1. Inspectors gave the following grade:

2. Full details of the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar inspection report can be found on The Scottish Housing Regulator website at www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk

3. The Scottish Housing Regulator came into operation on 1 April 2008. It is the successor to Communities Scotland’s Regulation & Inspection Division. As a government agency the Scottish Housing Regulator has complete operational independence, but will remain accountable to Scottish Ministers, and through them to the Scottish Parliament for the standard of its work. The agency sits within the Justice and Communities Directorate of the Scottish Government and will work within the government’s overall purpose and contribute to its strategic objectives.