THE solution to the city’s rough sleeping problem does not lie purely in providing homes for those with no roof over their head, according to workers dealing with people at the sharp end.

Working with Simon Community Scotland as support workers gives Jim Thomson and Ryan Walker an insight to the men and women, others don’t always have.

Jim said the underlying problems need to be addressed and the issues that lead to homelessness and rough sleeping are for most people, very acute.

He said: “It can be drink or drugs or mental health. They need intensive support to deal with it.”

Ryan feels that a different approach is needed by some accommodation providers.

He said: “Some are not equipped to deal with people with the multiple complex needs many people have.

“Just providing accommodation is not enough when people have other problems.”

For some people the nature and rules of temporary accommodation are too much to stick to.

Jim explains the routine of some people who are on the streets then get accommodation.

He said: “A lot of the guys in the city centre who are beging are not sleeping rough.

“They are in somewhere, supported accommodation and there will be a curfew of say 10 o’clock.”

“If they are begging and its the weekend and the streets are busy at night they might need to stay out a bit later to get enough to feed their addiction.”

The result is he says by the time they have made enough cash, gone to buy drugs and get back to their accommodation the door has been locked and they have lost their place.

He added: “Then they on the streets that night and are back to the start in the morning with a new application.”

He said this the proof that their real problem is not being homeless it is addiction.