Can Wales end homelessness? Former rough sleeper's hope after receiving housing during pandemic
Report by ITV Wales Correspondent Richard Morgan
A former rough sleeper has told ITV News about her hopes for the future after being placed in accommodation during the coronavirus pandemic.
Emma Williams was among thousands of homeless people across the UK given shelter at hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts and student halls of residence during the crisis.
A number of housing units were set up in Welsh cities including Newport, Cardiff and Swansea.
The Welsh Government confirmed last month it would provide up to £50m in funding to help keep people off the streets.
It has prompted charities and government watchdogs to call for a permanent end to homelessness in Wales.
Emma Williams has been living in a self-contained unit provided by Newport Council since July.
The unit is part of a secure compound with shared facilities such as washing machines and three meals a day provided by a 'meals on wheels' service.
Each resident is assigned a case worker who helps them secure benefits, medical appointments and counselling.
"You can come in and lock your door, and you know you're safe", Emma said.
"I've got my methadone script, I've got my key workers, Tracy and Lisa from the Wallich-Clifford [a homelessness charity]. They're brilliant."
Prior to living in accommodation, Emma would often sleep on the streets. She says she was assaulted more than once.
"I got beaten up in my sleep three times by a certain person, one person. It was wrong."
A report found women are particularly vulnerable, with nearly one in four having been sexually assaulted while rough sleeping in Wales.
Emma says she now hopes to move into permanent accommodation and become a hairdresser.
She adds that others on Newport's streets could be helped by the temporary scheme, based at the city's Mission Court.
"Some of them don't want to help themselves but I do, I'm happy I'm in here and it's happy days."
How has the pandemic helped reduce homelessness?
In Cardiff, more than 100 former rough sleepers have been housed at a hostel near the city centre.
Apart from their own room and regular meals, residents are given access to support services such as counselling.
One resident told ITV News she was looking forward to addressing some of her 'demons.'
"I spoke about getting counselling last Tuesday, and on Tuesday afternoon I had a phone call to start counselling."
"That's amazing, because it's something I wanted to do for a long time to get a few of my demons out."
But several homeless people reported concerns about the extent of drug use at the hostel.
Two residents have died at the building since rough sleepers started arriving in March.
"I'd rather be in my tent", one man said.
"At least I wouldn't be collapsing and breathing in spice all day and night and getting high."
The resident said he was worried about relapsing into his drug addiction.
"I used to be a spice addict myself. My body's repairing, but when I'm in here it isn't repairing. I'm still being sick."
Cardiff Council said that 56 people were receiving substance misuse treatment, "many of whom have never previously engaged with services."
The cabinet minister for Housing and Communities, Councillor Lynda Thorne, told ITV News the council had "already been on a journey" towards tackling homelessness, even before the pandemic.
"We've visited Helsinki and Glasgow and we've researched around the world for best practice, and we're using the experience for our vision going forward", she said.
Controversial plans have been unveiled to convert two apartment blocks in Cardiff into homeless accommodation.
And Councillor Thorne said the council wanted to open an "assessment centre" as soon as December, where individuals are allocated support appropriate to their needs.
"We're looking at reconfiguring many of the hostels and providing new hostels so that we're actually providing self-contained units and services on site", she said.
"Previously we've just been housing people in the next available accommodation, and clearly that hasn't worked."
Is enough being done?
In July, a report accused the public sector of "wasting" up to £210m reacting to rough sleeping, rather than preventing it.
It revealed that many of those being helped off the streets were not getting the support needed to keep them from going back.
The Auditor General for Wales, appointed by the Queen to inspect how public money is spent in Wales, said the response to homelessness during the crisis should act as a catalyst for change.
"There has been a real change and emphasis on rough sleeping since the pandemic hit, with public services stepping up to help people off the streets into accommodation," Auditor General Adrian Crompton said.
"Public services now need to capitalise on this work and deliver longer-term solutions to end people sleeping on our streets."
But Lewis Jones, a substance misuse counsellor who works with homeless people, says things are moving in the right direction.
Lewis, who provides counselling via video call to clients at sites including the Cardiff hostel, said the chance to speak to the same people consistently has been a "game-changer."
"To be able to provide counselling support which is flexible, accessible and consistent, I think that truly is a game-changer and an improvement on how things were prior to the pandemic."