We are hopeful that some of the short-term actions, in particular around assertive outreach, will have started to help get some people off the streets. This is even more pressing when we consider the recent publication of the annual rough-sleeping count. As we stated in our original report, this count can only ever provide a snapshot, and cannot be seen as a definitive figure. However, it does provide us with some sense of the numbers sleeping rough. It is therefore worrying that the 2019 count showed a 17 per cent increase in the numbers compared to 2018.

Moving on to this particular piece of committee work, this is a case of the committee being very much led by the lived experience of those who slept rough. As part of our follow-up work on our original report, we spoke to rough-sleepers across all areas of Wales and those who provide them with support. Time and time again, we kept hearing about the barriers faced by those with co-occurring disorders. We heard that the right support is simply not there for people to get the help they need when they need it. We are incredibly grateful to all those who were willing and able to share their often difficult memories and experiences. 

There has been a worrying increase in the number of homeless people dying on the streets. Of these deaths, two in five are caused by drug poisoning. This is unacceptable, and provided further impetus to look in more detail at the issue.

I would like to thank the stakeholders who gave evidence to us. They were open and frank in their assessment of where the system was going wrong. They also had lots of ideas as to what could be done better. There were two things that they said to us that I would highlight. One was that this is an issue where the solutions are known, and that we just need to get on with implementing them. Secondly, we were told that being open and honest with us could have ramifications. This was not the first time that we had heard such concerns during our consideration of these issues. So, I would welcome the Minister today making a clear statement of support that organisations should be able to voice concerns about services or support without the risk of jeopardising their own funding.

As we highlight in our report, there are a lot of policies, strategic documents and action plans covering this area. This is to be expected when it cuts across so many different policy fields. However, it does mean that co-occurring disorders can fall between the gaps, as there is no one person or organisation to ensure that it is all brought together. But we are seeing positive change on this front, with actions in both the substance misuse delivery plan and the mental health delivery plan that seek to address some of the barriers to getting the right support to some of the most vulnerable people.

In the Welsh Government response, they state that the current deep dive project on co-occurring disorders will be looking at how issues can be unblocked to ensure full implementation of the service framework for co-occurring disorders. So, it would be useful if the Minister could outline what some of these particular issues are and whether they chime with the committee’s findings, in particular on commissioning, culture and leadership.

We have heard of pockets of good practice delivering life-changing support to people, but we are concerned that there is not the ability for this good practice to be replicated across Wales. We heard from the witnesses that often, the competitive nature of commissioning means that this does not happen. Organisations cannot then learn from others either what works well or what doesn't. I am therefore pleased that the Government has accepted recommendation 2. I would welcome some more detail today on the research and evaluation work being undertaken by Government to support dissemination of best practice.

Closely linked to the sharing of good practice is that of culture and leadership. Dr Sankey from the Community Care Collaborative told us about the silos she has tried to break down in bringing all the support services under one roof. But this has been challenging and difficult. Yet, Dr Sankey’s work and the Housing First models show us that services can work together to deliver integrated and cohesive support. And it is that sort of support that helps deliver the life-changing help that sticks, brings people off the streets and enables them to manage their substance misuse and mental health conditions.

The Welsh Government accepted in principle our recommendation 4, which called for them to take a lead role in bringing forward the necessary culture change. In their response, they emphasise the importance of local authorities stepping up to deliver this strategic leadership. We are slightly concerned that this could mean a continuation of fragmented delivery, with integration varying from one local authority to another. So, how will the Welsh Government endeavour to ensure that this does not happen?

We also note the emphasis that Welsh Government place on the housing support grant in their response, and we will continue to make our calls for the budget for this important funding to be increased in the 2020-21 budget.

Dirprwy Lywydd, in closing, we hope that we will start to see the necessary changes that mean that we see far fewer people on our streets, and those who are there get support in a quick and timely manner. I very much look forward to hearing the views of other Members and, of course, the Minister’s response. Diolch yn fawr.