STOPPING people from becoming homeless in the first place will be the focus of Wee County plans to deal with the “growing numbers” of people in a housing crisis.

Councillors will hear about the proposals, part of the local authority’s wider future housing strategy, next Thursday, June 6, at a meeting of the Place Committee.

One of six strategic priorities up to 2023 will be tackling homelessness through the implementation of a Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan, in line with the national agenda.

Plans submitted for the meeting said: “Homelessness continues to remain a dominant feature of housing demand and to address this, our aim is to target resources at prevention to provide better outcomes for people and reduce the need for costly crisis intervention.

“In recent years, the introduction of the Council’s Housing Option Shop has enabled housing officers to be more proactive in assisting applicants.

“Officers discuss a range of options, including tenancies in different tenures, to find the most appropriate solution for a person at that time.”