Public bodies have failed to work together to tackle homelessness in Wales, a report has warned today.
Audit Wales said that services must be more joined up and address the root causes of homelessness in order to stop people from returning to rough sleeping once the pandemic has ended.
Its research shows that the public sector spent up to £210m reacting rather than preventing rough sleeping, which it calls a 'waste' of money.
It calls for a single public service response targeted at people sleeping rough.
Adrian Crompton, Auditor General, said: 'I believe that for the first time in a generation, eliminating rough sleeping in Wales is a possibility. Our report sets out how we can all work towards this goal.
'Public bodies must not just focus on giving people a roof over their head, it needs all partners to work together to address the root causes of homelessness.'