HOMELESS people should be provided with a permanent home and not spend months in temporary accommodation according to a committee of MSPs.

The proposal would see people who are registered as homeless with the council given a tenancy of a home together with support to help with other problems that have added to being homeless.

The Housing First model has been successful in Finland and has been trialled in Glasgow on a small scale.

Turning Point charity in Glasgow has put more than 40 people though a housing first programme and said it has not had any evictions.

The Local Government Committee at Holyrood has published a number of recommendations after a year-long inquiry into homelessness, its causes and potential solutions.

Bob Doris, Maryhill and Springburn SNP MSP, who is convenor of the committee said Housing First should be used widely in Scotland.

He said: “We know there is no quick-fix solution to eradicating homelessness and it still remains a complex issue in Scotland and many other countries today.

“After hearing directly from people who are homeless and those who have experienced sleeping on the streets or sofa-surfing, as well as service providers on the front-line, it was clear that further action is needed.

“That’s why our Committee has recommended that the Scottish Government learns from Finland and rolls out a Scottish version of Housing First, as a part of a potential solution to addressing homelessness.”

Latest figures show there was an increase in the number of families put in temporary accommodation in Glasgow last year.

Overall homelessness applications fell in the city to just under 5500.

Instead of being placed in a temporary accommodation flat Housing First would see a person or family given a permanent home and support for other issues like addiction, debt or mental illness provided to help them maintain the tenancy.

Mr Doris added: ““Housing is a basic human right and everyone should have a roof over their heads. We hope these recommendations will go some way towards ensuring that becomes the reality for more people and families in the future.”