This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Trends in homelessness
09/09/2003
A Statistical Bulletin is published today: Operation of the Homeless Persons legislation in Scotland: national and local authority analyses 2002-03.
It presents information about applications to local authorities under the Homeless Persons legislation during the period 1992-03 to 2002-03.
It provides information about the numbers of individual households applying as well as numbers of applications, and detailed information about the characteristics of households applying, local authority assessments made and actions taken.
This bulletin includes information about trends in the numbers of households in temporary accommodation up to March 31, 2003, together with an analysis of the snapshot position as of March 31, 2003.
The figures refer to households which have been placed in temporary accommodation by local authorities under the Homeless Persons legislation, and provide information on the type of accommodation used, giving a separate breakdown for households with children.
In 2001, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation which placed additional duties on councils to provide a minimum of temporary accommodation, advice and assistance to all applicants assessed as homeless.
In particular, from September 2002, councils have been required to provide temporary accommodation, advice and assistance to non-priority applicants who in the past would have received advice and assistance only.
The main points are:
Applications under the Homeless Persons legislation
In 2002-03, 46,942 individual households made applications to local authorities under the Homeless Persons legislation. Six per cent of households applied more than once during the period, resulting in 50,917 applications in total, 9% per cent more than in 2001-02.
The main increase was in terms of applications from single-person households, with this group accounting for 87% of households applying more than once in the period 2002-03.
In 2002-03, the majority of households applying were single-person households (64%), mainly men. Single parents, predominantly women, accounted for the next largest group (23%). There was considerable variation by local authority area, with Aberdeen City (76%), Inverclyde (74%) and Glasgow (73%) having the highest proportions of single-person households.
Of the 43,866 households assessed (but which had not necessarily applied during the period) in 2002-03, 78% were assessed as homeless, and 57% as homeless and in priority need.
Since the mid-90s there has been a consistent increasing trend in terms of the proportion of applications assessed as priority need: in 1995-96, 41% of applications were assessed as priority need, rising to 53% of applications in 2002-03 (this percentage is based on all who applied, including those who had not yet been assessed).
This increase in priority need assessments has been more marked among applications from single-person households: this has risen from 25% in 1996-97 to 47% in 2002-03.
Households in temporary accommodation
There has been a sustained increase during 2002-03 in the numbers of households placed in temporary accommodation by local authorities under the Homeless Persons legislation: the snapshot figures as at 31 March 2003 (5,496) show an increase of 32% over those for 31 March 2002 (4,153). The most recent figures also show an increase over the previous year, though less marked, of 22% (from 1,329 to 1,620) in the numbers of households with children in temporary accommodation. It must be noted that the numbers of households with children in temporary accommodation have displayed a degree of fluctuation both upwards and downwards over the past two years.
As at 31 March 2003, 55% of households were in local authority accommodation, with a further 26% in hostels and 17% in bed and breakfast accommodation.
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. As at 31 March 2003, there were 110 households with children in bed and breakfast accommodation. This varied by local authority with five local authorities having more than 10 households with children in bed and breakfast and 13 local authorities having none.
Housing outcomes
There were 31,425 applications actioned by local authorities during 2002-03 (but which had not necessarily applied during the period). Of the 18,885 applications assessed as priority need, 53% were rehoused in permanent accommodation, 16% secured temporary accommodation and 8% returned to their previous/present accommodation. Glasgow accounted for 89% of those assessed as priority need who were rehoused in temporary accommodation.
Sixty nine per cent of households with children assessed as in priority need secured permanent accommodation, as did 41% of single-person households assessed as priority.
Notes about the statistics:
Most of the figures in the bulletin Operation of the Homeless Persons legislation inScotland: national and local authority analyses 1992-03 to 2002-03 are based on information obtained from the new electronic data capture system, which went live on 10 December 2001. A Homelessness Statistics Users Group (including representation from local authorities, Scottish Executive and academia, among others) will be considering the quality of the data which is being provided, particularly on repeat applications. It is very likely that the information presented in this bulletin will be updated in future publications.
By the end of September 2003, a set of tables will be made available giving a detailed analysis of applications and outcomes for the period April 2001 to December 2001 using data collected under the old paper based homeless data system. These will be available under the 'Published Data' section of the housing statistics branch reference site.
Since September 2002, local authorities have had an increased duty to provide a minimum of temporary accommodation, advice and assistance to everyone assessed as homeless. Prior to that date there was only a duty to provide accommodation to those assessed as in priority need.
In the past, quarterly information on homelessness was published as part of the Quarterly Trends Bulletins on housing. As much more information on homelessness is now available, due to introduction of the new electronic data capture system, homelessness statistics are now being published separately from other housing statistics.