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2. Main points
Applications and applicant households
2.1 In 2004-05, 53,995 individual households made applications to local authorities under the Homeless Persons legislation ( Table 7). There were 57,020 applications in total during the period, 1% more than in 2003-04 ( Table 3). This represents a marked slowing down of the application rate compared to the increases observed over the past three years.
2.2 Nine per cent of households applying in 2004-05 applied more than once in a 12-month period ( Table 5).
2.3 Single-person households accounted for 79% of households applying more than once in the period 2004-05 ( Table 4).
2.4 In 2004-05, the majority of households applying were single-person households (62%), mainly men. Single parents, predominantly women, accounted for the next largest group (24%) ( Table 8).
2.5 The main reasons given for applying as homeless were loss of accommodation with relatives or friends (35%) and disputes within the household (23%). Single people and couples without children were more likely to give the former reason, while over two fifths of female single parent households gave disputes within the household as the main reason ( Table 9).
Local authority assessment
2.6 Of the 52,670 households assessed during 2004-05, 38,605 (73%) were assessed as homeless. Of those assessed as homeless, 29,032 (75%) were assessed as in priority need ( Table 12).
2.7 Assessment patterns varied by local authority: of those assessed as homeless, the proportion in priority need ranged from 89% for Dundee and Shetland, to 54% for Highland and Moray ( Table 12).
2.8 After an initial drop in the early 90s, there was a rapid increase from 1997-98 onward in the proportion of applications assessed as priority need. In 1997-98, 54% of applications assessed as homeless were in priority need, rising to 74% in 2004-05 ( Table 1).
2.9 The increase in priority need assessments has been more marked among applications from single-person households: this has risen from 32% of those assessed as homeless in 1996-97 to 63% in 2004-05. Again, there is substantial variation among local authorities, ranging from 82% for Dundee to 27% for Moray ( Table 13).
Note: Assessment figures for 2004-05 exclude cases which have not been assessed by the end of the period. For applications made in 2004-05, there were 1,634 cases which had not been assessed by the end of the period.
Action taken by local authorities
2.10 There were 34,751 applications actioned by local authorities during 2004-05: out of the 22,097 assessed as in priority need, 72% were offered permanent accommodation and 8% were offered temporary accommodation. ( Table 16). The current figures show a marked increase over 2003-04 where 60% of applications assessed as priority need were offered permanent accommodation.
2.11 Of the 8,291 assessed as homeless and not in priority need, 29% were offered temporary accommodation and 10% permanent accommodation. Among the 4,363 assessed as not homeless, 4% were offered permanent accommodation and 8% were offered temporary accommodation ( Table 16).
Households in temporary accommodation
2.12 There has been a sustained increase since 2002-03 in the numbers of households placed in temporary accommodation by local authorities under the Homeless Persons legislation: the figures as at 31 March 2005 (7,539) show an increase of 15% over those for 31 March 2004, again with substantial variation between local authorities. The most recent figures in the numbers of households with children in temporary accommodation as at 31 March 2005 (2,373) also show an increase over the previous year of 17% ( Table 18).
2.13 As at 31 March 2005, 56% of households in temporary accommodation were in local authority accommodation, with a further 21% in hostels and 21% in bed and breakfast accommodation ( Table 19).
2.14 Households with children tended on the whole to be provided with local authority accommodation (84%), with a minority (7%) being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation ( Table 19). As at 31 March 2005, there were 167 households with children in bed and breakfast accommodation. This varied by local authority, with six local authorities having more than 10 households with children in bed and breakfast and 15 local authorities having none ( Table 20).
Housing outcomes
2.15 Of the 22,097 applications assessed as in priority need and actioned during 2004-05, 69% were re-housed in permanent accommodation, 4% secured temporary accommodation and 8% returned to their previous/present accommodation ( Table 22). The current figures represent a notable increase over 2003-04 where 56% of applications assessed as priority need secured permanent accommodation.
2.16 Seventy three per cent of households with children assessed as in priority need secured permanent accommodation, as did 64% of single-person households assessed as priority ( Table 22).
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