Scotland and America have similar strategies to tackle homelessness

He urged others to follow Scotland and the US in their aim to end homelessness rather than cope with it.

Mr Mangano's comments came as international experts on homelessness gathered in Dundee on Thursday to discuss how to tackle the problem.

The European homeless organisations umbrella group Feantsa aims to share cross-country expertise on the issue.

In 2003 the Scottish Parliament passed laws giving a commitment for all unintentionally homeless people to have the right to a permanent home.

Turning the corner

At present, 75% of all homelessness applicants in Scotland are determined to be in priority need - families with children have generally fallen into this category.

But by 2012, legislation requires that figure to be 100%.

Mr Mangano, of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, said American policy to tackle the problem turned the corner when funding used to "manage" the issue switched to ending it.

This is a national problem with local solutions. Phillip Mangano

He said: "Scotland has a great mission to end homelessness by 2012. We share a similar vision and we base it on the notion of abolishing a social wrong, a social evil."

"If you look at the initiatives in Scotland and in the United States, there are great similarities, such as on the priority of partnership and increased resources from central government."

"The strategies that are being developed in Scotland are aimed to accomplish certain results within a specific time frame, moving away from managing homelessness to ending it."

Mr Mangano added: "What we've come to realise in the last 20 years is that no one level of government and no one element of the private sector can do this alone.

"This is a national problem with local solutions."

Overcoming stereotypes

He stressed the importance of also providing opportunities for the homeless, such as employment.

"We need to overcome the stereotypes and myths that homeless people are not capable of sustaining housing and employment," he said.

"We found that when you offer opportunity to homeless people, they rise to it."

Feantsa president Robert Aldridge said Scotland was generally recognised as being one of the more advanced countries in dealing with homelessness.

"Homelessness exists in every country in the world," he said.