This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Homeless Persons
28/03/2006
The latest information on applications to local authorities under Scotland's Homeless Persons legislation is published today.
The main points are:
Applications under the Homeless Persons legislation
- During the period April-September 2005, there were 30,210 applications to local authorities under the Homeless Persons legislation. The most recent data show an increase of 2per cent compared to previous applications during April-September 2004 and this supports indications from previous data that the level of increase may be easing off
- The majority of households applying were single-person households (63 per cent), mainly men. Single parents, predominantly women, accounted for the next largest group (24 per cent).
Local authority assessment
- Of the 28,575 applications assessed during April-September 2005, 72 per cent were assessed as homeless. Of those assessed as homeless, 74per cent (15,377) were assessed as in priority need
Action taken by local authorities
- There were 28,209 applications actioned by local authorities during April-September 2005: out of the 15,251 actioned and assessed as in priority need, 57per cent were offered permanent accommodation and 8per cent were offered temporary accommodation
Households in temporary accommodation
- The latest snapshot figure for households placed in temporary accommodation by local authorities under the Homeless Persons legislation was 7,596 as at December 31, 2005. This represents an increase of 6 per cent compared to the situation as at December 31, 2004. However, previous increases have been higher (14 per cent between December 31, 2003 and December 31, 2004) and the longer term data give some indication that the level of increase may be tapering off
- In order to monitor the implementation of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order, from June 2005, a separate recording category of 'households with children or pregnant women' was introduced. The most recent figure for households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation was 2,661 as at December 31, 2005. As specific figures for the number of households with pregnant women but no children were not available before June 2005, figures before and after June 2005 are not strictly comparable
- As at December 31, 2005, 59 per cent of households in temporary accommodation were in local authority or housing association accommodation, with a further 18 per cent in hostels and 18percent in bed and breakfast accommodation
- Households with children tend on the whole to be provided with local authority or housing association accommodation (87 per cent), with a minority (3 per cent) being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation
- As at December 31, 2005, there were 78 households with children or pregnant women in bed and breakfast accommodation. This varied by local authority, with 20 local authorities having none or only one household with children in bed and breakfast, and only one local authority having more than ten
Implementation of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order
The first three snapshot figures for June 30, September 30 and December 31, 2005 show that:
- the most recent figure for reported breaches was 33 cases as at December 31 2005. This represents 1percent of households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation at that point
- the highest number of breaches occurred on September 30 when 59 households with children or pregnant women were in unsuitable accommodation in breach of the Order
- half of all local authorities had no breaches of the Order for all three time points
- around two-thirds of local authorities did not have any breaches of the Order at the end of any single quarter
- seven local authorities had five or more breaches at any one time.
Each snapshot shows that the number of households with children or pregnant women in unsuitable temporary accommodation in breach of the Order is fewer than the number in bed & breakfast accommodation. This is because some B&Bs will meet the standards set out in the Order, and because not all stays in unsuitable accommodation will be classed as breaches of the Order, as exemptions are allowed under the terms of the Order.
These data were collected from June 2005 onward and time trends for these figures will be reported as more data become available.