Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:22 pm on 9 October 2018.
Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Minister for housing on what more can be done to tackle homelessness in Wales, please? A constituent recently contacted me to bring his case to my attention. A letter, actually, has come to me written by a homeless person in Newport high street. He's only 24 years old. Instead of reading his letter, which is very emotional, I'd rather say a few lines about what he's actually going through. He says he was working and living in a public house that the brewery decided to close down. He received one month's notice to leave. He went to Newport City Council for help, but they said his case was not a priority, because he was single and with no children—don't forget that he's only 24 years old. They placed him on a waiting list for a hostel. There again, there is an 18-month waiting list for homeless people. He says he just wants to get somewhere to live that is safe for him and he can get a job and move on with his life. Please could we have a statement from the Minister on what can be done to help our constituents in similar situations or conditions all over Wales? In a civilised society, we must look after homeless people and some measure must be taken by law not to have people sleeping rough, especially with the type of weather that we are facing, with extreme winters and extreme summers. Thank you.