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CHAPTER SIX: ATTITUDES TOWARDS 'INTENTIONALLY HOMELESS' PEOPLE

Introduction and background

6.1 As discussed in Chapter One, local authorities currently have a duty to investigate whether people presenting as homeless have become so 'intentionally'. In the context of homelessness, 'intentionality' means a person either did, or omitted to do, something that results in them losing the right to occupy a property that was available to them to live in. Examples might include being evicted for anti-social behaviour, being evicted for rent arrears when the council considers you could afford to pay your rent, or leaving a property that you could have continued to stay in for no good reason.

6.2 When a local authority has decided that an applicant has become homeless (or threatened with homelessness) 'intentionally', at present they are only obliged to provide them with temporary accommodation, advice and assistance. However, the 2003 Homelessness etc (Scotland Act) introduced several provisions which, when brought into force in the future, will enhance the rights of this group of homeless people. First, through section 4 of the Act, the duty on local authorities to investigate intentionality will be changed to a discretionary power to do so. Second, sections 5 and 6 of the Act will improve the rights of 'intentionally' homeless people to housing by:

• creating a duty on local authorities to provide all 'intentionally' homeless people (with the exception of those evicted for anti-social behaviour in the past 3 years or subject to an ASBO) with a Short Scottish Secure Tenancy (short SST) ³²
• providing that, if the tenant is able to sustain this tenancy for a year, they are entitled to have their lease converted to a full Scottish Secure Tenancy.

6.3 If a tenant fails to sustain a short SST the local authority will still have a duty to provide temporary accommodation and support, but will not be obliged to provide a tenancy (although it may do if it wishes). The 2003 Act also states that 'intentionally' homeless households will be entitled to support to address the cause of 'intentionality' - for example, someone who is found to be 'intentionally homeless' due to rent arrears might be offered financial advice and support. Where an intentionally homeless applicant is subject to an ASBO, or has been evicted for anti-social behaviour in the last 3 years, the local authority must still provide non-tenancy accommodation and appropriate support.

6.4 A report published by the Scottish Executive found that those deemed 'intentionally homeless' constitute a small and declining proportion of the overall numbers of homeless people - from 11% in 2000-2001 to 3.8% in 2003-2004 (Rosengard et al, 2006). In 2005-06, just 930 of 55,215 applicants were assessed as 'intentionally homeless' and in priority need (Scottish Executive, 2006). ³³ However, although the 'intentionally homeless' are a relatively small group, it is possible that people will have fairly strong views about whether or not they should receive the kinds of help the 2003 Act allows for. In Chapter Five of this report, we saw that many people do make distinctions between different groups of homeless people based on their personal characteristics and/or the reasons they became homeless. Given that those who are considered 'intentionally homeless' may be seen as responsible for their own situation, it seems likely that some people may question whether or not they should receive help from their local council with finding a new home.

6.5 In this chapter, we address the following key questions:

Key questions

• Do people think that homeless people who might be viewed as 'intentionally homeless' deserve help from their local council with finding a new home or not?
• Do people have different views towards 'intentionally homeless' men and women?
• How do attitudes vary between different groups of people living in Scotland?
• Are public attitudes in tune with the direction of Scottish Executive policy on intentionality?

Challenges in designing survey questions on 'intentionality'

6.6 In their study on intentionally homeless households in Scotland, Rosengard et al (2006) found wide variation by local authority in the proportion of applicants assessed as 'intentionally homeless' in 2003-04, from 16.6% to zero. Previous research suggests a high degree of discretion in how the 'intentionality test' is applied by different local authorities. For example, Scott et al (2000) report that while 5 local authorities in their sample would 'always' treat an ex-local authority tenant with rent arrears as 'intentionally homeless', 2 would 'never' do so.

6.7 Given this variation in how local authorities interpret and apply the 'intentionality test', designing survey questions to explore public attitudes towards the 'intentionally homeless' was somewhat challenging. Rosengard et al (2006) found the principle reason for assessed intentionality was that households had previously given up their property, either formally or through abandonment. The main reasons why households gave up properties were: first, household or family circumstances such as family breakdown, and second, external influences including experiencing vandalism, harassment or violence before abandoning their accommodation. Other reasons for assessed intentionality were being evicted for anti social behaviour (in only a few cases) and being subject to eviction proceedings.

6.8 Rent arrears and anti-social behaviour are other possible reasons for an 'intentionality' decision, as discussed above. We presented respondents with a variety of scenarios which could fall into one or more of these categories. In each case, respondents were asked to say whether they thought the person (definitely or probably) should or should not receive help from their local council to find a new home. The scenarios included were:

• A 17 year old boy/girl who has left home after a serious argument with his/her parents ³⁴
• A 30 year old man/women who has moved out of his/her home after splitting up with his/her wife/husband ³⁵
• A person who says they can longer live in their flat because their neighbours are too noisy
• A 16 year old girl who currently lives with her parents but has a one year old child and wants to move out
• A person who has lost their home because they could not keep up with their rent payments
• A person who has lost their home because they were causing problems for their neighbours.

Attitudes towards different groups who are 'intentionally homeless'

6.9 For most of our scenarios where people might be considered 'intentionally homeless', a majority of people think they should get help finding a new home (Table 6.1). The scenario which appears to attract most sympathy is people who lose their home because they can't keep up with rent payments - over two-thirds (69%) think someone in this situation should probably or definitely get help finding a new home. Similarly, around 6 in 10 think that someone who has moves out of their home after a marriage breakdown and someone who says they cannot stay in their accommodation because of noisy neighbours should get help finding somewhere else to live. There appears to be relatively more support for helping a young mother who wishes to move out of her parents home (62% think she should definitely or probably get help) than for helping a teenager who has left home after a dispute with their parents (51%). Perhaps the former is considered a better reason for a young person to wish to leave the parental home than the latter.

6.10 However, although half to two-thirds of respondents believe each of these 5 groups probably or definitely should get help, a substantial minority in each case believe they probably or definitely should not receive such help - from 26% with respect to people who have lost their home due to rent arrears to 47% with respect to a teenager who has left home after an argument with their parents. Moreover, in relation to our final scenario, someone who has lost their home because they were causing problems for their neighbours, an overwhelming majority (82%) believe they should not get help from their council to find a new home. This reflects the finding in Chapter Five that those who have been evicted for being noisy neighbours are the group considered 'least deserving' of help by the highest proportion of people.

Table 6.1 Beliefs about whether or not different groups should get help from their council with finding a new home (%)

Base: all respondents (1,594)

Do people have different attitudes to 'intentionally homeless' men and women?

6.11 To explore whether people's attitudes towards people experiencing homelessness vary depending on the sex of the homeless person, we conducted a split sample experiment with two of our questions about 'intentionally homeless' people. For the scenario about the 17 year-old who has left home after an argument with their parents, half the sample was asked about a 17 year-old girl and half about a 17 year-old boy. Similarly, for the scenario about the 30 year-old who has moved out of their home after a marriage breakdown, half the sample was asked about a man and half a woman.

6.12 Our findings suggest that attitudes to people experiencing homelessness may vary depending on both the age and sex of the person in question (Table 6.2). While slightly more people think that a 17 year-old boy should get help finding a new home than think a 17 year-old girl should receive such help (53% compared with 48%), in fact this difference is not statistically significant. ³⁶ With respect to a 30 year-old who has left home after their marriage breaks down the pattern of attitudes by sex is reversed - 69% think the 30 year-old woman should definitely or probably get help compared with just 55% who think this about the 30 year-old man. The reasons for this difference in attitudes are not clear. Perhaps people view middle-aged women as more vulnerable than middle-aged men, but feel that 17 year-olds are equally vulnerable regardless of sex (or even that boys are slightly more vulnerable than girls). Or perhaps people make different assumptions about the underlying causes, or about who is at fault in the two scenarios depending on the sex of the person involved. These findings are something that could perhaps be explored further in qualitative research.

Table 6.2 Beliefs about whether or not 17 year-old boy/girl and 30 year-old man/woman should get help from their council with finding a new home (%)³⁷

How do attitudes vary between different groups?

6.13 In earlier chapters in this report, we have seen that attitudes to homeless people vary fairly widely depending on demographic factors, like sex, age, education and the level of deprivation in the area people live in, as well as with their underlying socio-political beliefs, in particular how libertarian or authoritarian they are. In the remainder of this chapter we consider whether attitudes towards whether or not different groups who might be viewed as 'intentionally homeless' should get help finding a new home or not vary by these demographic and attitudinal factors.

Sex and age

6.14 Sex is significantly related to attitudes towards 2 of our 6 'intentionally homeless' groups (Table 6.3). Women are slightly more likely than men to say that both a 17 year-old who has left home after an argument with their parents and a person who says they can no longer live in their flat because of noisy neighbours should get help from the council with finding a new home. Interestingly, female respondents who were asked about a 17 year-old boy are more likely than male respondents to say they should get help (58% compared with 47%), while differences in attitudes to the 17 year-old girl scenario by respondent sex are not significant.

Table 6.3 Attitudes to whether various groups who might be classed as 'intentionally homeless' should get help finding a new home BY sex

6.15 Attitudes varied more widely by age than sex, although in many cases the pattern by age is not linear (Table 6.4). For example, the proportion who believes that the 17 year-old should probably or definitely get help ranges from 46% of 35-44 year-olds to 60% of 18-24 year-olds. Those in the youngest age group are also the group most likely to believe the following should get help:

• a 30 year-old who has moved out of their home after marital break-up (72%, compared with 58% of those aged 65+)
• a 16 year-old with a child (80%, compared with 50% of those aged 65+)
• a person who has lost their home because they caused problems for their neighbours (23%, compared with 11% of those aged 55-64).

6.16 In contrast, older people aged 65 and above, are most likely to think that someone who says they cannot live in their flat because of noisy neighbours should get help (69%, compared with 61% of those aged 18-24 and 58% of those aged 45-54). Middle-aged respondents are most sympathetic to helping those who are homeless because of rent arrears - 76% of those aged 35-44 think they definitely or probably should get help finding a new home, compared with 63% of those aged 65 or older.

Table 6.4 Attitudes to whether various groups who might be classed as 'intentionally homeless' should get help finding a new home BY age

Education

6.17 Attitudes towards 3 of our 6 groups vary significantly by respondents' highest level of educational qualification (Table 6.5):

• Those with no qualifications are more likely than those qualified to higher education or degree level to say that someone who says they cannot live in their flat because of noisy neighbours should get help finding a new home (71%, compared with 57%)
• Conversely, those qualified to degree or higher education level are more likely than those with no qualifications to think the council should provide help finding a new home to someone who is homeless due to rent arrears (76%, compared with 63%) or someone who has caused problems for their neighbours (21%, compared with 12%).

Table 6.5 Attitudes to whether various groups who might be classed as 'intentionally homeless' should get help finding a new home BY highest educational qualification

Underlying libertarian-authoritarian beliefs

6.18 In previous chapters, we have seen that those who are generally more libertarian in their attitudes are much less likely than those who are more authoritarian to hold critical views about homeless people and much more likely to believe all homeless people are equally deserving of help. This trend is continued with respect to help for 'intentionally homeless' people - those who are more libertarian are generally more likely than more authoritarian respondents to say they should get help finding a new home (Table 6.6). The gap in attitudes is particularly striking with respect to groups which might potentially attract greater 'moral disapproval' from more authoritarian respondents. For example, 70% of more libertarian respondents compared with just 55% of more authoritarian respondents think a young mother should get help finding a new home.

Table 6.6 Attitudes to whether various groups who might be classed as 'intentionally homeless' should get help finding a new home BY underlying libertarian/authoritarian beliefs

Area deprivation

6.19 Those living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are significantly more likely than those in the least deprived areas to think that the following should get help (Table 6.7):

• a 17 year-old who has left home after an argument with their parents
• a 30 year-old who has left home after a marriage breakdown
• a person who leaves their flat because of noisy neighbours, and
• a 16 year-old with a young child

6.20 The findings about attitudes to teenagers and young mothers are particularly striking when you consider that people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more likely than those in more affluent areas to hold authoritarian values and beliefs. Forty-five per cent of those in the most deprived quintile, compared with 25% in the least deprived, are in the most authoritarian third of our sample. Given that there is a strong relationships between having more libertarian values and believing that a 16 year-old girl with a young child and a 17 year-old who has left home after an argument with their parents should get help finding a new home, one might expect that those in the most deprived areas would be less likely to think this. However, in fact we find that authoritarian respondents in the most deprived areas are just as likely as libertarian respondents in the least deprived areas to think a 16 year-old girl with a young child should get help finding a new home (65% in each case). Libertarian respondents living in deprived areas are even more likely to think this (83%).

6.21 Attitudes to people who have lost their home due to rent arrears or anti-social behaviour did not vary significantly by area deprivation.

Table 6.7 Attitudes to whether various groups who might be classed as 'intentionally homeless' should get help finding a new home BY area deprivation ( SIMD quintiles)

Are public attitudes in tune with the direction of Scottish Executive policy on intentionality?

6.22 In future, all people who are considered 'intentionally homeless', with the exception of those who have an ASBO, have been evicted for anti-social behaviour or have already broken the terms of short Scottish Secure Tenancy, will be entitled to housing (via a short Scottish Secure Tenancy) and support from their local council. Our findings on attitudes towards councils helping various groups who could be considered 'intentionally homeless' find a new home suggest that public attitudes are broadly in tune with this policy. A majority believe that 4 of our 6 groups who might be considered 'intentionally' homeless should get help finding a new home. In relation to teenagers who leave home after a dispute with their parents views are somewhat more divided (particularly with respect to young girls), with half thinking they should get such help and half that they should not.

6.23 In relation to people who lose their homes because of anti-social behaviour, we found that those who have caused problems for their neighbours are the one group where a majority believe they probably or definitely should not get help. In one sense, this can be seen as tying in with the direction of Scottish Government policy, since this group will not be guaranteed the same level of housing rights as other 'intentionally homeless' households. However, the fact that such low levels of people (just 15%) think that those who have lost their home because they caused problems for their neighbours should receive help finding a new home could mean that the fact they will continue to receive even temporary accommodation and support could potentially be controversial. The Scottish Government website highlights the need to challenge the belief that 'People made homeless as a result of antisocial behaviour should not have any rights to social housing' ³⁸. These findings, in combination with the finding reported in Chapter Five that a third of people think those evicted for being noisy neighbours are among those 'least deserving' of help, may suggest that further work is needed to challenge this belief. That said, it is also important to note that the proportion of homeless applicants who applied as a result of eviction for anti-social behaviour was just 0.4% in 2005/6 ³⁹. Thus work to challenge the belief that those evicted for anti-social behaviour do not deserve help may need to be balanced with the fact that in practice eviction for anti-social behaviour is not a common cause of homelessness in Scotland.

6.24 Attitudes towards groups of people who might be deemed 'intentionally homeless' also vary widely by both demographic factors and underlying attitudes. It appears that specific groups may need more convincing than others of the need to help particular 'intentionally homeless' people find new accommodation. We found that:

• Men, people aged 25 and over, people with more authoritarian views and people who live in more affluent areas are all less likely to think that a 17 year-old who has left home after a serious argument with their parents should get help with finding a new home
• Older people (as well as those aged 25-34) and those living in more affluent areas are less likely than younger people and those in more deprived areas to see marital breakdown as a reason people should get help from the council finding a new home.
• Men, the highly qualified and those living in affluent areas are all less sympathetic towards the idea that someone who says they cannot live in their flat because of noisy neighbours should get help finding somewhere else to live.
• Older people, those living in more affluent areas and those who are more authoritarian in their beliefs are all less likely to think a 16 year-old with a young child who wants to move out of her parental home should receive help from her council with being re-housed.
• Those with no qualifications and those who are more authoritarian are less likely than those with higher level qualifications and more libertarian respondents to think someone who is homeless because of rent arrears should receive help.
• While no groups are particularly sympathetic to the idea that people who cause problems for their neighbours should get help finding a new home, older people, those with no qualifications and more authoritarian respondents are among the least likely to agree with this proposition.

Key points

• For many scenarios where a person might be considered 'intentionally homeless', a majority of people think the council should definitely or probably provide help with finding a new home.
• A key exception is where someone has become homeless because they caused problems for their neighbours - over 8 in 10 think they should definitely or probably not get help finding a new home.
• People are also somewhat more divided in their attitudes towards re-housing a teenager who has had a serious argument with their parents - around half think they should get such help, while the other half think they should not.
• Attitudes towards helping homeless people find a new home appear to vary depending on both the sex and age of the person in question - while there is no significant difference in the proportions who think a teenage boy and a teenage girl should get help, in relation to a 30 year-old who has experienced a marriage breakdown people are more inclined to think a woman than a man should get help.
• Views about whether different groups who might be deemed 'intentionally homeless' should get help finding a new home or not vary significantly by socio-demographic factors like sex, age, education and area deprivation, as well as the extent to which people hold underlying beliefs that are libertarian or authoritarian. For example:
• • Women are more likely than men to think a 17 year-old who has left home after an argument with parents and a person who says they are no longer able to live in their flat because their neighbours are too noisy should get help
  • Younger people (aged 18-24) are more likely than older people to think teenagers who have fallen out with their parents and teenage mothers should get help. Those in the oldest age group (aged 65 or above) are most likely to think people who have noisy neighbours should get help with finding somewhere else to live.
  • People qualified to higher education level are more likely than those without qualifications to think someone who is homeless due to rent arrears or anti-social behaviour should get help, but less likely to think someone who cannot live in their flat because of noisy neighbours should receive assistance from the council with finding a new home.
  • Those who are more libertarian in their underlying values and beliefs are more likely than those who are more authoritarian to think that various groups should get help, notably young mothers and people who have caused problems for their neighbours.
  • Those living in the most deprived areas are more likely than those in the most affluent areas of Scotland to believe that various groups should receive help, including young mothers and teenagers who have left home after an argument with their parents. This difference is apparent in spite of the fact that those living in the most deprived areas tend to be more authoritarian in their underlying values than those in the least deprived areas.

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