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4.1 Local authorities secured accommodation (either permanent or short-stay) for 80 per cent of the 1997-98 applicant households that were determined to have a priority need. For those priority need cases which had been assessed as unintentionally homeless/ potentially homeless this increased to 84 per cent. Looking separately at the cases assessed as homeless and those assessed as potentially homeless, accommodation was secured for 85 per cent of applicants assessed as unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and for 83 per cent of unintentionally potentially homeless households in priority need. (Table 6)
4.2 Permanent accommodation was secured for 67 per cent of the 1997-98 applicant households that were assessed as homeless and in priority need. This varied between authorities from 17 per cent in Midlothian and 19 per cent in West Lothian, to over 85 per cent in Inverclyde, Stirling, Eileen Siar and Moray. (Table 8). For those priority need cases which were assessed as unintentionally homeless/ potentially homeless 72 per cent were secured permanent accommodation. Looking separately at the cases assessed as homeless and those assessed as potentially homeless, permanent accommodation was secured for 71 per cent of applicants assessed as unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and for 77 per cent of unintentionally potentially homeless households in priority need. (Table 6)
4.3 It should be noted that some households who are secured short-stay accommodation may actually be secured permanent accommodation at a later date; the use of permanent accommodation may, therefore, be understated - see paragraph 5.1. Where accommodation was not secured for applicants, the reason was often that the applicant had withdrawn their application or lost contact after the local authority's assessment was complete. As a general point, it should be noted that details of all applicants for whom permanent accommodation is secured may not yet have been provided by local authorities, because cases where accommodation is provided take longer to process on average. There are known to be some variations in how local authorities record whether they have used permanent or short-stay accommodation (for example, see 5.2 below), so too much weight should not be placed on small numerical differences.
4.4 Of those who were in priority need and assessed as intentionally homeless, 50 per cent of applicants had accommodation secured (either permanent or short-stay), as did 39 per cent of the potentially intentional homeless. Forty five per cent of those who were homeless but not in priority need had accommodation secured. Much of this figure is accounted for by single authority (Glasgow) which makes extensive use of hostel accommodation. For non-priority potentially homeless applicants, 25 per cent had permanent accommodation secured — which often took the form of securing their present accommodation for occupation. Similar local authority action also accounts for the high proportion (48 per cent) of permanent accommodation secured for those assessed as neither homeless nor potentially homeless. (Table 6)
4.5 Trends in the use of different types of accommodation have changed over time. In 1997-98 an estimated 71 per cent of accommodation secured was permanent, compared to the peak of 89 per cent in 1988-89 and 1989-90 when the number of applications was much lower. Half of the 1997-98 applicants who were secured accommodation were housed in public authority or housing association dwellings, which has been the case for the last 5 years, although prior to 1991-92 more than 60 per cent of households who were secured accommodation were housed in such dwellings. (Table 7)
4.6 The majority of households who are secured short stay accommodation are housed in hostels The use of hostels has increased significantly over the last 10 years, from 2 per cent of all accommodation secured in the late eighties to 21 per cent in 1997-98. (This increase is mainly confined to Glasgow where there has been a change in the way the figures are completed - see paragraph 6.2 below). (Table 7)
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