Home front: Dennis Culhane says people need to be given 'real chances' to live in a home.
Scotland's commitment to ending homelessness is a model which other nations should follow, a key White House aide has said.
Dr Dennis Culhane, who has advised both President Barack Obama and his predecessor George W Bush, said Scotland's approach of "prevention rather than cure" was similar to that adopted in his own country.
However, he added that the success of the pledge to end homelessness by the end of this year should be measured not by the number of people taken off the streets, but by how many had a "real chance" to live in a home.
Dr Culhane, who has advised both current US President Barack Obama and his predecessor George W Bush, is one of the key speakers at a special conference in Edinburgh next month.
The event is taking place as the deadline approaches for councils to meet the commitment, enshrined in law, to end homelessness by the end of 2012.
Speaking ahead of the conference, which is being organised by the housing and homeless charity Shelter Scotland, Dr Culhane said: "Scotland's groundbreaking commitment to end homelessness is serving as a model for how many other countries view homelessness solutions.
"In some ways, Scotland and the United States share a similar vision in eradicating homelessness and that is reflected in the move to prevention, rather than cure.
"While the 2012 commitment showcases Scotland's progressive homelessness legislation, its success can only be measured by the number of people lifted out of homelessness and given not only the legal right to a home, but the real chance of actually living in one."
Dr Culhane, a professor of social policy at the University of Pennsylvania, is expected to compare homelessness services in Europe and America, as well as speaking about a recent policy shift in the US which sees homeless people given permanent housing at subsidised rents.
Legislation passed by Holyrood in 2003 will bring an end to the current system in Scotland where only those homeless people classed as being in "priority need" have the right to a home.
That means by the end of 2012 this right will be extended to single homeless people and couples without children.
Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, will chair the conference, which will also hear from housing minister Keith Brown.
The Shelter Scotland director said: "Scotland has received international acclaim for its groundbreaking homelessness legislation and has encouraged other nations to examine their own homelessness strategies.
"We are a nation leading the way but with less than a year to go before the reforms come in to effect, it is critical that the housing sector comes together to discuss best practice - including international lessons from countries such as the United States - and to set out new priorities for the post-2012 era."
