Scottish Government

Helping Homeless People
Action Note

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Homelessness is high on the Executive's agenda. This is an important time for new ideas and news ways of tackling homelessness. While many things are already happening, we need your views and experiences to make sure we tackle this problem effectively.

What has been happening?

The Homelessness Task Force ¹ set up by the Scottish Executive has produced two reports with over 70 recommendations for changes in the law, and in practice, in dealing with homelessness in Scotland. All these recommendations have been supported by the Scottish Executive and by Parliament and will be delivered in a 10-year programme of action.

Its first report set out proposed improvements to the law which could be made quickly. These changes were made in Part 1 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and included:

• New or strengthened duties for Councils

• To understand the extent of the problem of homelessness in their areas and produce homelessness strategies.
• To provide improved advice and assistance.
• To provide temporary accommodation, advice and assistance to all homeless people irrespective of their priority need status.
• To ensure permanent accommodation for all homeless people in priority need.
• To help more people threatened with homelessness, so to avoid their becoming homeless.

• A new duty for registered social landlords to assist local authorities in carrying out their homelessness duties.

• New rights for hostel residents.

The Task Force's final report ² looks more closely at how homelessness occurs and can be prevented, or tackled more effectively. Its 59 recommendations cover five key areas:

• Further changes to the law
• Housing supply and housing policy
• Housing Benefits issues
• Preventing homelessness
• Responding to homelessness

What is happening now?

The report sets out a 10-year programme of action and a Monitoring Group ³ is overseeing its delivery across a wide range of areas including housing, health, social care, administration of benefits, personal support networks, culture, training and attitudes towards homeless people.

But what is most important is that we have the views of homeless people themselves, and people who have been homeless, on the design and delivery of services which will help them find their own solutions.

More changes to the law

Legislation introduced to the Scottish Parliament in 2002 aims to:

• Give legal protection to the most vulnerable so that they are given permanent housing.
• Increase over time the groups given priority so that within 10 years everyone is entitled to permanent housing (unless that entitlement is suspended).
• Change the current duty on Councils to investigate whether someone has become homeless intentionally into a power to do so - to reduce the burden on local authorities but also give them the discretion they need to manage their houses.
• Improve the response to people assessed as intentionally homeless by giving them a right to a short SST with support to help them address their difficulties, and ensuring accommodation and support continues to be available in any event.
• Suspend the rules which say a person has to have a local connection with an area before he will be considered for housing. This will give people a better choice about where they want to live, and mean that they are more likely to settle successfully.

Housing supply and policy

Councils are now required to make an assessment of the quality and type of housing they have available, and to consider whether it is sufficient for their needs. They will consider more carefully the type of housing they offer to someone who has been homeless to reduce the risk of them becoming homeless for a second, or further, time. There will be provision of more appropriate housing for young people; more furnished accommodation available and more rent deposit schemes to help people access the private rented sector. Councils will reduce the use of Bed and Breakfast accommodation, which is especially inappropriate for families with children.

Benefits

Benefits rules or practice can be improved so that they don't contribute to homelessness. The Task Force recommended that the adequacy of benefits to young people be reviewed; that the rules governing the timing and priority of payments from the Social Fund be reviewed along with the current restrictions to single room rent payments; that problems of benefit tapers and benefit traps be looked at; and that benefit administration should be improved to reduce delays in payments. The Executive is discussing with the Department for Work and Pensions how these recommendations should be taken forward.

Prevention of homelessness

Most importantly we want to prevent anyone becoming homeless in the first place and have highlighted a number of things to be done to reduce or remove the risk of homelessness. Early action can be taken, for example by providing 'leaving home' information in schools and other youth services and by making arrangements to identify people at risk of becoming homeless. Councils will develop prevention strategies so that they are able to step in and offer help before someone becomes homeless.

Support may include mediation, drug, alcohol or money counselling; or specific advice and assistance for vulnerable groups such as young people, people coming out of prison, careleavers or people leaving the Armed Forces.

Responding to homelessness when it does occur

We recognise that, despite best efforts, some people will become homeless for a number of reasons. In some cases all that is needed is accommodation. But in others, the provision of a house alone will not solve the problem and the wider issues which may have caused the homelessness in the first place must also be tackled. We therefore need to involve a wide range of people and organisations to make sure this happens.

Councils must have systems in place to provide immediate help when someone needs this, but also to consider what appropriate longer-term action is needed so that people don't get trapped on the bottom rung of the ladder to permanent accommodation.

Culture and staff training

Staff across all the services dealing with homeless people should have support and joint training to make sure they have all the information they need to help homeless people in a positive way. There needs to be agreement between different services - for example health and housing - about how the support they provide can be connected to make sure it works. Good advice and information should be available at an early stage and the accommodation and support provided should be designed to meet the needs of the household.

Health

Poor health may contribute to homelessness or may even be caused by it. Some homeless people find it difficult to register with a GP or to keep appointments. These barriers to health services should be removed; homeless people should be registered with a GP and substance misuse treatments and mental health services should be easier to access.

Health Boards are now required to develop Health and Homelessness Action Plans to say how they will ensure better access to health services for homeless people.

It is very important to make sure that if a family with children becomes homeless, the children continue to receive all the services and health advice they need.

Employment and training

Another area which can lead to homelessness, or can make getting a house more difficult, is lack of employment, education or training. It should be made easier for people to get a job, or to get training - and this should recognise that some people who have been without a job and homeless for some time may take time to become 'job ready'. Both the private and public sectors - and including voluntary organisations - are encouraged to consider expanding education, training and work opportunities for homeless people.

Social networks and support

Networks of families and friends are important to everyone. When someone is homeless and vulnerable, they may also feel isolated and lonely. Practical means of helping people affected by homelessness to build or rebuild connections with friends and families should be developed.

How can you contribute?

We want to talk to people and to organisations who can tell us about how some of these ideas can be put into practice.

We want to make sure that all the action we take, or others take, reflects the needs of people who are homeless or who have experienced homelessness and can be delivered by those who work with homeless people.

Your views are therefore very important.

If you would like more information, or would like to:

• tell us about the things which have helped you overcome homelessness;
• tell us about the things which stopped you from getting help;
• tell us about your experience of working with homeless people - where the successes have come, and where the barriers have been; or
• comment on any section of the report - particularly in relation to its delivery,

then please contact the address below:

The Scottish Executive
Homelessness Team
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh EH6 6QQ
www.scotland.gov.uk/homelessness

1 The Homelessness Task Force
The Scottish Council for Single Homeless; Shelter Scotland; CoSLA; The Scottish Executive; The Big Issue in Scotland; Greater Glasgow Health Board; Association of Directors of Social Work; Scottish Federation of Housing Associations; Communities Scotland; Dept of Urban Studies, Glasgow University; Dept of Work & Pensions; Glasgow Council for Single Homeless.
2 Available from the Scottish Executive Homelessness Team 0131 244 0356 or on www.scotland.gov.uk
3 The Monitoring Group:
The Scottish Council for Single Homeless; Shelter Scotland; CoSLA; The Scottish Executive; The Big Issue in Scotland; Greater Glasgow Health Board; Scottish Federation of Housing Associations; Communities Scotland; Dept of Urban Studies, Glasgow University.