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3.1 In 1997-98, 43,100 households applied to local authorities under the homeless persons legislation. Of these, 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. (Table 1)
3.2 After remaining fairly constant at around 25,000 applicants per year between 1987-88 and 1988-89, the number of applications increased substantially in the period 1989-90 to 1991-92, and slightly less steeply thereafter, reaching a peak of 43,000 in 1993-94. In each of the following 3 years the number of applications was around 41,000. However, in 1997-98 a further increase occurred, and the number of applications reached a new all time high at 43,100. (Table1) It should be noted that the increase in applications between 1989-90 and 1990-91 is likely to have been overstated because of under-recording in earlier years (see paragraphs 4 to 7 in the Annex).
3.3 The number of applicants assessed as homeless or potentially homeless increased steadily from 15,300 in 1987-88 to 30,000 by 1992-93. The number remained around this level between 1992-93 and 1996-97 but has increased to 32,400 in 1997-98. (Table 1).
3.4 In 1997-98, 26,600 applicants were assessed as homeless (62 per cent of all applicants) and 5,800 were assessed as potentially homeless (14 per cent of all applicants). The number assessed as homeless represents an increase from the 24,000 level of the previous couple of years and is the highest number of households assessed as homeless in any year to date. The number assessed as potentially homeless represents a decrease from 6,400 the previous year. The number assessed as potentially homeless in 1997-98 was the same as in 1987-88, there having been a rise (to a peak of 9,300 in 1992-93) and fall over the intervening 5 year period. (Table 2)
3.5 The number of applications which were assessed as neither homeless nor potentially homeless increased to 5,800. This number has increased steadily over the last 10 years from around 2,700 in 1987-88. No assessment was made (due to loss of contact) with 4,900 applicant households, the same number as in the previous year. (Table 2) These groups are the most susceptible to differences in recording practice - both between authorities and over time.
3.6 The 17,500 cases with a priority need in 1997-98 represents an increase of 700 over the 1996-97 figure although prior to this there had been a steady decrease from a peak of 19,800 in 1992-93. The number of non-priority cases also increased in 1997-98 to 14,900 the highest level recorded in the last 10 years and represented 35 per cent of all applications, a larger proportion than in any of the previous 10 years. (Table 2)
3.7 The 32,400 1997-98 applicant households assessed as homeless or potentially homeless in 1997-98 represents 1.5 per cent of the total number of households in Scotland. This percentage ranges from 0.4 per cent in East Renfrewshire and 0.5 per cent in Renfrewshire to 2.3 per cent in Stirling and 3.9 per cent in Glasgow City. (Table 3) It should be noted that this figure provides only a rough guide to the incidence of households applying as homeless since it is the number of applications, not the number of households, which is counted. That is, the same household may have applied on more than one occasion during 1997-98.
3.8 Three authorities (Fife, City of Edinburgh and Glasgow City) accounted for exactly half of all households assessed as homeless or potentially homeless. Glasgow alone accounted for 33 per cent of the total so assessed. (Table 3)
3.9 Table 4 shows the total number of applications in each local authority since 1986-87. Note that due to changes in the method of data collection in 1990-91, comparisons of 1990-91 and subsequent years with earlier periods are not equally valid for all authorities.
3.10 Although overall 75 per cent of applications were assessed as homeless or potentially homeless, this varied considerably between the local authorities as shown in table 5. The proportion was as low as 49 per cent in East Lothian and 51 per cent in Moray, and was as high as 95 per cent in West Lothian and Midlothian and 99 per cent in Eilean Siar. Overall 41 per cent of applications were determined to have a priority need. However, this varied from 75 per cent in Perth and Kinross to 24 per cent in East Lothian. (Table 5)
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