News / Politics
Mayor hints at empty buildings for homeless
Empty council-owned buildings in Bristol could be opened up for the homeless after the mayor announced he was poised to reveal the findings of a task group set up to tackle rough sleeping.
George Ferguson said at a meeting of full council on Tuesday night that a group, led by homeless charity St Mungo’s Broadway, had been tasked with finding empty buildings after a petition called on the council to follow Manchester’s lead and increase the number of emergency shelters.
“I hope to be able to make an announcement very soon, I was hoping by Christmas,” he told councillors and members of the public who had brought the petition.
Calls for the council to open empty buildings followed a sharp increase in the number of rough sleepers in Bristol to levels not seen since the 1990s.
The petition gained cross party support, although concerns were raised about choosing the right buildings, consulting with neighbours and providing adequate support to rough sleepers using using the new shelters.
Charles Lucas, the Conservative Party’s mayoral candidate who volunteers with soup runs, added: “We must remember this is only a short-term solution to a problem that comes from a lack of a comprehensive housing strategy.”
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