Stastical Bulletin Housing Series: Operation of the Homeless Persons Legislation in Scotland 1987-88 to 1997-88: National and Local Authority Analyses: HSG/1999/3

Operation of the Homeless Persons Legislation in Scotland 1987-88 to 1997-98: National and Local Authority Analyses

1. Introduction

1.1 This bulletin presents statistics on how local authorities assessed and dealt with applicant households under the homeless persons legislation in Scotland from 1987-88 to 1997-98, as recorded in the returns they submitted to the Scottish Executive. In recent years national and local authority analyses have been published separately. This bulletin presents both sets of analyses together for the first time.

1.2 Detailed statistical notes on the collection of this information are given in the Annex. It is known that some local authorities, for a variety of reasons, fail to notify the Scottish Executive of all applicants. Changes and improvements in recording practice in individual authorities mean that small changes in the figures should be interpreted with caution.

1.3 The information in the tables is derived from detailed case information for applications to Scottish local authorities. The national figures quoted from 1990-91 onwards are estimates, obtained by grossing up this detailed information to the Scottish total (see Annex, paragraphs 11.5 to 11.7).

1.4 It should be noted that figures may not always sum to the totals given, which are rounded independently, and percentages, both in the text and the tables, have been calculated from unrounded figures.

1.5 The main points are:

Applications

• In 1997-98, 43,100 households applied to local authorities under the homeless person legislation, 5 per cent more than in 1996-97.

• Of these, an estimated 32,400 (75 per cent) were assessed as homeless or potentially homeless, and 17,500 (41 per cent) were determined to have a priority need.

• The three authorities with the largest number of households assessed as homeless or potentially homeless (Fife, City of Edinburgh and Glasgow City) accounted for half of the Scottish total, with Glasgow alone accounting for a third.

• The proportion of cases determined to have a priority need varied considerably between local authorities, from 24 per cent in East Lothian to 75 per cent in Perth & Kinross.

Local authority action

• Local authorities secured accommodation for 80 per cent of the 1997-98 applicants who were determined to have a priority need, and for 85 per cent of those assessed as unintentionally homeless and in priority need.

• Permanent accommodation was secured for 67 per cent of the priority need cases, and for 71 per cent of those assessed as unintentionally homeless and in priority need.

• Almost half of the 1997-98 applicants who were secured accommodation were permanently housed in public authority or housing association dwellings, and a further 19 per cent were returned to their previous or present accommodation.

• Twenty-nine per cent of all 1997-98 applicant households were secured short-stay accommodation, most of which was in hostels, and the majority of which were in Glasgow City.

Reason for homelessness

• Thirty seven per cent of all applicant households in 1997-98 stated that the immediate reason for loss/ threatened loss of accommodation was that friends or relatives were no longer able or willing to accommodate them; this was lower among the priority need cases (32 per cent) and higher among the non-priority cases (46 per cent).

• A dispute with a spouse or cohabitee was the reason given in 24 per cent of cases, although this was higher (35 per cent) among the priority need cases and lower (12 per cent) among the non-priority cases.

• Action by landlord was often the reason for loss of accommodation in some rural areas in 1997-98, accounting for 27 per cent of cases in Moray and 19 per cent of cases in Perth and Kinross, although overall this reason accounted for 7 per cent of applicant households in Scotland.

Analysis by household type

• In 1997-98, 60 per cent of all applicant households consisted of a single person. This varied between authorities from 77 per cent in Glasgow to 26 per cent in Perth and Kinross.

• Just under half (46 per cent) of the households determined to have a priority need were single parent households, and couples with children accounted for a further 11 per cent.

• The majority (93 per cent) of households assessed as homeless or potentially homeless but not in priority need were single person households.

• Seventy-three per cent of single parent households in priority need were secured permanent accommodation, although this varied between authorities from 16 per cent in Midlothian and 21 per cent in West Lothian, to 97 per cent in Moray and 98 per cent in Eilean Siar.