This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Households living in temporary accommodation
17/12/2002
A Statistical Release, which presents information about
households that were living in temporary accommodation on
30 June 2002, in each local authority area, having been
placed there by the local authority under the homeless
persons legislation, is published today.
The Release, Operation of the Homeless Persons
Legislation in Scotland: Households in Temporary
Accommodation: Quarter Ending 30 June 2002, gives
information on the type of accommodation in which the
households are living, and also provides this information
separately for families with children.
The main points are:
Total Households
- At the end of June 2002 local authorities reported
that there were 4,419 households in temporary
accommodation, some 10% more than they had reported for
the end of June 2001. However, due to a previous
mis-recording by one local authority, the real increase
is likely to be nearer 7 or 8%.
- 54% (2,388) of these households were reported to be
in local authority owned dwellings with a further 29%
(1,260) in hostels.
- A total of 653 households were reported to be in
B&B accommodation at the end of June 2002, 178
(37%) more than at the end of June 2001.
Families and Children
- Of the 4,419 total households in temporary
accommodation at the end of June 2002, 1,506 were
reported to be families with children, 7% more than the
number families in temporary accommodation at the end
of June 2001. 105 of these families were in B&B
accommodation - an increase of 9 families since the
previous quarter and an increase of 17 families since
the equivalent quarter last year.
- The 1,506 households with children involved some
2,799 children, 176 more children that were in
temporary accommodation at the end of June 2001. Some
164 of these children were in B&B
accommodation.
Local Authority Breakdown
- 53% of all households in temporary accommodation at
the end of June 2002 were reported by only four local
authorities: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife and South
Lanarkshire. Glasgow alone accounted for 34% of the
households.
- Excluding the one authority with previous reporting
errors, 23 local authorities reported an increase in
the number of households in temporary accommodation
compared to the same time last year. The largest
increase was reported in Edinburgh (379 at end June
2002 compared to 301 at end June 2001). The largest
decrease was reported in Glasgow (from 1,642 at the end
of June 2001 to 1,524 at the end of June 2002).
- Half of the families with children in temporary
accommodation at the end of June 2002 were reportedly
in only five local authority areas: Glasgow, Edinburgh,
Midlothian and South Lanarkshire and Fife, with Glasgow
alone accounting for 21%.
- South Lanarkshire, Highland and Argyll and Bute had
the highest numbers of households with children (and
actual number of children) in B&B accommodation at
the end of June 2002 - 20, 12 and 11 households (32, 21
and 14 children) respectively.
In the past quarterly information on homelessness was
published as part of the Quarterly Trends Bulletins on
housing. As much more information on homelessness is now
available every quarter, due to introduction of the new
electronic data capture system, homelessness statistics are
now being published separately from other housing
statistics. In addition, information about households in
temporary accommodation are being published separately from
the more general information about households applying as
homeless, how they are assessed and dealt with by local
authorities. The next publication of information on the
latter will take place in February.