Homeless group in targets warning

No-one knows the total of rough sleepers in Wales

A taskforce established to tackle Wales's rough sleeping problem has said the Welsh Assembly's target figures cannot be met.

The Homelessness Commission is due to report the assembly to conclude that its goals laid down for 2003 are not realistically achievable.

Unpublished census figures estimate there are around 150 people sleeping on the streets of Wales on any given night.

The Salvation Army has campaigned on rough sleeping

Led by Liberal Democrat AM Peter Black, the commission has spent the past nine months to make its recommendations.

The taskforce has yet to conclude exactly how many people in Wales are homeless.

The commission is calling for a full survey to be carried out as a priority to assess the level of the problem.

More than £4m will be set aside to tackle homelessness in Wales during 2002.

Vulnerable

But homelessness field workers have criticised the level of funding, claiming it will not be enough to deal with the situation.

The amount compares badly with England, where a rough sleepers initiative in Bristol has resulted in £9m being poured into schemes in the city.

The commission's report states being without a home is one of a series of problems faced by vulnerable people.

It has urged the assembly to come up with far-reaching plans to tackle drug and alcohol abuse and street violence.