Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:32 pm on 1 November 2016.
Thank you, First Minister. Councils across Wales are targeting the homeless and seeking to ban rough sleeping, yet these same councils are doing very little to secure accommodation for those individuals who find themselves with no choice other than to sleep rough. Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and South Wales Police have started a clampdown on anti-social behaviour and under this guise are targeting rough sleepers in Neath town centre under Operation Avalanche. However, Neath Port Talbot Council have not opened any additional homeless shelters or increased the availability of social housing. First Minister, what can the Welsh Government do to prevent local authorities from victimising the most vulnerable in our society, and instead concentrate upon eradicating homelessness, looking at the causal factors of each homeless person? Will the Welsh Government ensure there is sufficient social housing stock and encourage local authorities to convert some of the many empty properties they own to provide emergency accommodation for homelessness until an individual—