Helping Homeless People Delivering the Action Plan for Prevention and Effective Response

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HELPING HOMELESS PEOPLE: DELIVERING THE ACTION PLAN FOR PREVENTION AND EFFECTIVE RESPONSE

INTRODUCTION
  1. We were appointed by the Scottish Executive in May 2002 to support and monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Homelessness Task Force and report to Ministers - as recommended by the Task Force. Our membership and remit is listed at Appendix A. We have held eight meetings between July 2002 and January 2004.
  2. This is our first report. It:-

reviews the progress made across the country in delivering the recommendations of the Homelessness Task Force, in the time since their final report was published in February 2002;
sets out arrangements put in place to monitor the effects that recent legislative changes and new policy directions are having on the ground; and our understanding of the effects of these changes; and
identifies the areas where we believe stronger progress needs to be made and which should form the priorities for the forthcoming year.

3. Since the Task Force reported our work has covered:

advice on delivery plans for individual Task Force recommendations;
the promotion and communication of the Task Force agenda throughout the country;
oversight of the assessment of homelessness strategies;
the setting of performance expectations; and
the development of performance monitoring arrangements for homelessness.

4. We have also provided critical advice to the Executive on the range of new resources and supports being put in place to help direct, fund and facilitate the changes underway.

5. The delivery of the Task Force agenda is only in its early stages - there is a long way to go. Yet we are pleased to be able to report that progress has been made since February 2002. In some cases the recommendations of the Task Force have already been met, but further work is required to ensure that these achievements are sustained and built upon.

6. In the case of most recommendations progress has been made in raising awareness and putting in place the framework and conditions to support and shape their delivery. This early work has been vital not only for its own sake, but also to promote the key messages contained in the Task Force's final report. It is crucial that those responsible for implementation are able to embrace the spirit as well as the letter of the recommendations. It is also of paramount importance that the wide range of agencies which formed the audience for the Task Force's report is fully engaged in delivering the recommendations.

7. There are also a number of recommendations where serious work has yet to commence, and in some cases rising homelessness applications, pressure on temporary accommodation, and an apparent increasing demand for support services have meant that local agencies have found it difficult to respond effectively to the recommendations. These trends have coincided with the implementation of the homelessness provisions of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and it is our initial sense that the two are linked to the extent that latent demand for homelessness services, and related services such as those providing housing support, has been brought to the surface. This has obvious implications for service providers and also means that work to map demand for, and supply of, housing through Local Housing Strategies is of crucial importance in these early phases of implementation, as well as in moving forward to the abolition of priority need by 2012.

8. There are illustrations of good practice in managing these changes arising from homelessness strategies, and we do not underestimate the scale of change required, not only in terms of new legal duties but also as regards changing practice and culture.

9. Changing the culture of homelessness services is central to successful implementation of the Task Force's recommendations. There must be movement from a gatekeeping regime to one which attempts to find positive solutions for each and every homeless household. Homeless people, and those at risk of homelessness, should be at the centre of improving homelessness services. Agencies must work together, at both national and local level, to provide services which recognise that homelessness can only be tackled effectively if a holistic approach is taken. There must also be a greater focus on preventing homelessness.

10. Progress is being made in taking forward culture change, and the development of homelessness strategies agreed by local partners is an important element of this. However culture change takes place at a varying pace in different services and localities and must be an ongoing, iterative process, to which we will continue to lend our support.

11. We will draw on the range of work in hand to assess the current position as to the supply and quality of accommodation and the provision of related services, as against demand, and to inform the Ministerial statement on the abolition of priority need which is to be made by December 2005. In particular we will scrutinise the outcomes of research into the abolition of priority need and the Local Housing Strategies submitted by local authorities. We will also continue to seek detailed evidence of the reasons behind current trends in terms of rising applications, greater use of temporary accommodation and the perceived increase in demand for support services.

12. We will continue to support and promote delivery of the wide range of Task Force recommendations, with a particular focus on those where least progress has been made to date. This will involve clearly identifying those agencies, both national and local, which need to be involved and ensuring their commitment to taking the Task Force agenda forward.

PROGRESS WITH DELIVERY

13. The final report of the Homelessness Task Force was published in February 2002. In presenting its final report, the Task Force was clear that the agenda it recommended would require 10 years until 2012 to deliver in full. The Task Force recognised that its Action Plan to prevent and tackle homelessness in Scotland would only succeed if service providers were geared up to make these changes work in practice and were given time to embrace the culture change inherent in the recommendations.

14. We have set out below an overall review of progress in delivering the recommendations of the Homelessness Task Force at both national and local levels, and the related actions to support that delivery. In focussing on delivery, we are necessarily taking a broad view which sets the Homelessness Task Force recommendations in the context of wider work to prevent and tackle homelessness in Scotland. The following review of progress is intended to demonstrate the wide range of work being taken forward, and the changing context in which this is being done.

15. Detailed coverage of the position in relation to each of the 59 Task Force recommendations is provided in Appendix B.

Legislation

Housing (Scotland) Act 2001

16. The homelessness provisions of the 2001 Act, which led on from the Task Force's interim report, have all been commenced. Most significantly, this means that all homeless people in Scotland are now entitled to a minimum of temporary accommodation alongside advice and assistance in finding a permanent home. The advice and assistance they are to receive is also prescribed by regulations. This represents a substantial strengthening of rights for those applicants who were not previously entitled to accommodation. For instance, in the first year following the coming into effect of the legislation, 9047 households were assessed as being homeless, but not having a priority need for accommodation. These households are now entitled to temporary accommodation.

Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003

17. The Executive and Parliament acted quickly to ensure that the legislative recommendations in the Task Force's final report were progressed as a priority, leading to the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003 receiving Royal Assent on 9 April 2003. The passing of this Act is a major milestone. It means that Scotland now has what some stakeholders have hailed as the most progressive homelessness legislation in Western Europe. We view this as a significant early demonstration of the Executive's commitment to the delivery of the Task Force's recommendations. We will expect this commitment to be sustained through the implementation of the Act and the delivery of the rest of the Task Force agenda.

18. The Act paves the way for the abolition of the priority need distinction by 2012, it enables Ministers to modify the current local connection rules and it introduces a new regime to investigate and tackle intentional homelessness. It also takes forward the Task Force's recommendations on legislative changes required to prevent homelessness. The legislative process also provided the opportunity to address legislative issues beyond those covered by the Task Force, incorporating suggestions made during the passage of the Bill. The Act therefore ensures that people accommodated under asylum and immigration legislation do not form a local connection as a result of this residence, and introduces a Ministerial power to define unsuitable forms of temporary accommodation. Consultation on the exercise of this power will take place early in 2004.

19. We are pleased that the Act as passed reflects the Task Force's recommendations. Yet this is only an early step in a long process. The Act is not yet in force, but a commencement plan drawn up by the Executive has been agreed with CoSLA and this Group. This sets out that sections 1, 2 3, 7, 9 and 10 will be commenced early in 2004. These sections deal with the initial expansion of priority need; the Ministerial statement on priority need abolition; and associated powers; the application of local connection rules to refugees; and the power to define unsuitable forms of temporary accommodation and the definition of domestic abuse.

20. The next phase of commencement is scheduled for Spring 2004 and covers sections 11 and 12 - dealing with notification to local authorities of intention to repossess and the grounds for repossession where rent arrears are due to a failure or delay in the payment of Housing Benefit. Finally the commencement plan states that the timetable for commencement of sections 4,5,6 and 8 will be kept under review pending the outcome of research projects currently being commissioned. These explore issues relating to the power to modify the local connection provisions, the abolition of priority need and the new regime for intentionally homeless households and are scheduled for completion by late 2004.

Guidance, Regulations and Ministerial Statements

21. Since the 2001 Act was passed, we have endorsed a range of specific Executive guidance on homelessness strategies; on advice and information; on "good reason" for RSLs to refuse a local authority request to house an applicant; on a reasonable period within which the applicant should be housed by the RSL; and on arbitration in the event of a dispute. Most recently, the Homelessness Code of Guidance has been reviewed with input from a Steering Group. The first phase of consultation focussed on the core legislative changes which have already taken place and a revised version of the Code will be published online in early 2004. Work remains to be done to ensure that the Code reflects changing practice and the changing culture of homelessness services, as well as the legislative changes, and this will be taken forward in future phases of the revision process. These future phases will also consider whether issue-based guidance is required which is separate from, but linked to, the Code and how best to update the Code in a way which keeps pace with change but remains user-friendly.

22. The 1987 Act, the 2001 Act and the 2003 Act all provide powers under which subordinate legislation can be made. While much of this is now in place, several important areas are currently under development. Our remit specifically refers to monitoring the impact of the suspension of local connection and advising on the specific timing and arrangements for the phased expansion and ultimate abolition of priority need. Our work in these areas will inform the content of the ministerial statements under the 2003 Act. Gathering the further evidence on which to base implementation of these provisions of the 2003 Act is essential. We have agreed the briefs for important research projects commissioned to provide the necessary analyses. These studies are expected to complete by late 2004.

Culture and training

23. Culture change is never going to take place overnight. However we believe that the national consensus that has built up around the Task Force's recommendations represents an opportunity for developing high-quality homelessness prevention and response services. The Scottish Parliament's endorsement of the report soon after it was published was an important part of this process. Since then the Task Force's key messages have been reiterated in guidance and widely communicated through conferences, targeted seminars and workshops that have been hosted by a range of external stakeholders across the country.

24. The process of developing and delivering homelessness strategies has also been, and remains, crucial. It is a process requiring new collaboration between local authority departments and with partners outwith Councils in order to produce workable strategies. At its best, joint working has included elected members, homeless people, council tenants and other members of the public as well as 'professional' stakeholders. It has put in train programmes for education and awareness raising, providing a foundation for building values, attitudes and behaviours in both statutory and voluntary agencies necessary to achieve responsive and personalised services. This is enormously beneficial in ensuring that the issue of homelessness is well understood and that the whole community is aware of, and engaged with, the action being taken. However, there is still evidence of a lack of strong and effective corporate and inter-agency working in some areas.

25. The Homelessness Task Force stressed the principle that services and processes put in place to prevent and tackle homelessness should have at their centre people directly affected by homelessness. This principle has been promoted in all relevant Executive guidance and feedback related to homelessness. The assessment of homelessness strategies revealed good examples of involvement practice, both in strategy development and in the intended approach to delivery. However, the essential contribution which can be provided to service development through the involvement of people affected by homelessness needs to be given widespread practical effect throughout all service organisations.

Housing Policy

26. The Task Force stressed that the complexity of homelessness necessitates a multi-faceted approach. We believe that there is now widespread understanding and acceptance that providing a roof alone is not enough to resolve homelessness for most people. A wide range of services, beyond those traditionally focussed on housing, need to come together to provide a comprehensive response which takes account of all the issues facing the homeless household.

27. Having said that, however, the housing dimension is fundamental. We welcome the high priority being placed by the Executive and Communities Scotland on the development by local authorities of Local Housing Strategies (LHS), which are due for submission to Ministers by April 2004 at the latest. We also welcome the high priority attributed to homelessness within guidance on the preparation of LHS.

28. However, the links between homelessness strategies and LHS need to be strengthened in relation to setting out what is required within local areas to make possible the phased expansion of priority need. It is essential that these strategy processes produce sound local estimates of housing requirements associated with priority need expansion, as a vital contribution to the overall supply and demand assessment for affordable housing. We have agreed the brief for Executive research to support assessment of the capacity of local authorities to respond to the demands resulting from the expansion of priority need. The outcomes of the local assessments and the national research will be a high priority for scrutiny in the coming year.

29. The type and location of accommodation is also being scrutinised much more carefully. Planning through homelessness strategies linked to LHS should set out local authorities' proposals for eliminating the use of B&B for homeless families with children and addressing shortfalls in accommodation provision for young people. There is clear evidence in homelessness strategies of action being taken to eliminate over time the use of B&B for families and progress will continue to be monitored. The Scottish Executive will also consult on the exercise of Ministerial powers to determine suitable forms of temporary accommodation. However, we have concerns about the adequacy of accommodation planning for young people.

30. We welcome the progress being made with the re-provisioning of large-scale hostels where these exist - a process now underway in Glasgow, which has the largest population of hostel dwellers, and also in Aberdeen.

31. A national framework for furnished tenancies, as recommended by the Task Force, has now been established by Communities Scotland. £3m has been distributed to 28 local authorities in 2003/4 and £3m will be distributed in each of the next two financial years, to meet the target of 1000 additional furnished tenancies per year. A national furniture co-ordinator has also been appointed to support the work of local furniture recycling projects and their linkage to homelessness strategies.

32. The Task Force emphasised the importance of innovative approaches in relation to access to accommodation. It recommended the expansion of rent deposit guarantee schemes drawing on the lessons of earlier pilot projects. It also recommended the potential application of lead tenancies, subject to the results of evaluation. The Executive has commissioned evaluations of rent deposit guarantee schemes and lead tenancies. The rent deposit scheme study was published in September 2003 and has been widely disseminated. Its findings will help inform development of rent deposit guarantee schemes in all local authority areas by 2004 and will provide the basis for new guidance. The study also highlighted existing barriers to the success of rent deposit schemes and overcoming these must be explored further. The study on lead tenancies will complete shortly.

Benefits

33. The Executive has liaised regularly with DWP, emphasising the importance placed on the Task Force's recommendations and exploring ways in which these can be pursued in the UK context. DWP has confirmed that it is taking account of the Task Force's recommendations and other recommendations from a range of sources in current reviews. In some areas it is unlikely that reform will be taken forward as a high priority although in others, such as housing benefit, reform is already underway.

34. Housing Benefit performance statistics currently available for 2003/4 indicate that, of those Scottish authorities for whom information is available, there is wide variation in terms of indicators such as the average number of days taken to process new claims (from 20 to 138 in Scottish authorities, as compared to a UK median of 44) and the percentage of new claims decided within 14 days (from 100% to 17% in Scottish authorities, as compared to a UK median of 71%). The assessment of homelessness strategies revealed that only a very small number of authorities had incorporated standards and targets relating to Housing Benefit - the need to address this issue has been emphasised in the Assessment Panel's feedback to local authorities.

35. Between December 2003 and Summer 2004 DWP will be researching and developing a strategic policy paper on homelessness. The aim of the paper is to see how DWP interventions, in combination with those of other agencies, can ensure that homeless people have the chance to get and keep a job and to ensure that the benefit regime does not act as a barrier to getting work or receiving financial support as appropriate. As with other reviews, we will want to ensure that this work takes account of the Task Force's recommendations and will evaluate its outcomes against the recommendations.

Action to Prevent Homelessness

36. A greater focus on prevention is building new and stronger links between the services provided by institutions from which people often become homeless, and services in the community . Assessment of homelessness strategies has revealed that many local authorities are reviewing and strengthening their approach to preventing homelessness. This has resulted in greater involvement of education and social work departments, for example, and more effective partnerships between voluntary and statutory agencies. Local authorities and other landlords are also reviewing their procedures and policies relating to anti-social behaviour, rent arrears and repossession to ensure that these do not lead to avoidable homelessness. Some local authorities have further work to do in putting in place comprehensive strategies to prevent homelessness in their area and provision will continue to be reviewed as strategies are further developed and put into place.

37. The Executive has taken part in discussions with the Scottish Prisons Service and the MoD to ensure that the Task Force's recommendations are taken into account in shaping future approaches to preventing homelessness amongst ex-prisoners and armed service leavers. In both cases the Task Force recommendations were in line with, and consequently have helped to shape, emerging policy.

38. The Scottish Prisons Service (SPS) has rolled out a through-care approach, which aims to address the post-prison needs of inmates, and is establishing 'Link Centres' in all Scottish prisons. These centres are designed to enable individual prisons provide services that assist offenders in returning to society and living as part of a community. Housing advice services are now in place in every Scottish prison - agencies providing these services work from the Link Centres ensuring that they work together with other services to ensure a holistic approach to preventing homelessness. The Executive has also evaluated the advice projects for prisoners and ex-offenders funded through the Rough Sleepers Initiative and the findings are being used to inform evolution of housing and homelessness advice services within and linked to the through-care approach.

39. The MoD, following the publication of its strategy for Veterans, is developing impetus on the changes to its pre and post discharge support services for veterans. It is reviewing possible development of the role of the Veterans Agency to provide wider welfare services to veterans, resettlement advice and assistance and sign-posting to services in the community. It is also developing policy for vulnerable service leavers for launch in 2004. It is expected that this will introduce an improved system of pre-discharge assessment, signposting of services and a mentoring scheme.

40. We were pleased that, in relation to young people leaving care, the recommendations of the report of the Through-care and Aftercare Working Group, mirrored virtually all of the Task Force's recommendations in this area. New duties on local authorities to improve services for those leaving care come into effect on 1 April 2004. For the first time, these will include a duty to ensure careleavers are provided with appropriate accommodation. The Executive is funding the next two years of the leaving care element of the Scottish Council for Single Homeless project on leaving home and housing education.

41. It is essential that all relevant agencies are actively engaged and working together to prevent homelessness wherever possible. Communities Scotland has conducted an initial exploration with relevant institutional regulators of how the advice programmes of different institutions might best be regulated to achieve appropriate advice standards. However, tangible progress has yet to be made in this key area.

Homelessness Strategies

42. All 32 local authorities have prepared homelessness strategies for their areas and these have been submitted to the Executive. These are central to the achievement of the national homelessness agenda - around a quarter of the Task Force recommendations are reliant on their delivery through homelessness strategies. We have approved the establishment of a cross-sector assessment panel, the process for carrying out assessments and the provision of constructive feedback to local authorities. The Panel comprises representatives from the Scottish Executive, Communities Scotland, CoSLA and the health and voluntary sectors. It is clear from the assessments that there is substantial variation in the quality of strategies and we have summarised later in this report the key areas which require further attention.

Funding

43. We have noted that to enable the delivery of homelessness strategies the Executive has now allocated funding to local authorities for the 3-year period 2003-2006. We welcome this development having advocated the streamlining of homelessness funding to introduce greater simplicity and flexibility. The allocation of resources through to 2006 means that Councils and their partners now have a clear funding basis for homelessness strategies over the next 2-3 years.

44. We have also advised upon and supported the move towards a system of Local Outcome Agreements for homelessness, derived from homelessness strategies. These new agreements will allow funding to local authorities to be governed by a more strategic approach, based on clear target outcomes which local authorities will seek to achieve through homelessness expenditure. The new outcome agreements will also embrace the existing separate agreements governing expenditure on the Rough Sleepers Initiative.

Regulation

45. Communities Scotland has statutory responsibility for regulating local authorities' homelessness functions, and is represented on the Strategies Assessment Panel. We have noted that the Agency devised and tested its inspection regime for local authority homelessness services last year. This regime is being applied to inspections underway in the first 5 "pathfinder" authorities in the programme - East Lothian, Stirling, Angus, West Dunbartonshire and Inverclyde. This is the start of a rolling programme of inspections. RSLs are also subject to inspection - at least once every five years. Communities Scotland is taking account of the content of homelessness strategies and the response of Councils to the feedback when carrying out inspections. We have also noted that, as part of the inspection process, Communities Scotland will implement the Task Force's recommendation regarding monitoring the number and quality of accommodation offers made to applicants under the homelessness legislation.

46. The evidence from inspections will lead to identification of both good and poor practice. The Strategies Assessment Panel is also currently gathering examples of such practice identified through the assessment process - these will be communicated in due course through appropriate networks. In time this will feed into updates to guidance.

Effective response

47. Preventing repeat homelessness, and ensuring solutions are sustainable, is also key to the agenda we are monitoring. Much of this work is also being taken forward via homelessness strategies and the points at paras 42-46 above apply.

Health

48. The top priority for the Health and Homelessness Steering Group and the Health and Homelessness Co-ordinator over the last two years has been driving and monitoring the introduction of Health and Homelessness Action Plans. While this has been a prolonged process, the Plans for 14 of the 15 NHS Health Board areas have now been assessed and approved by the Steering Group and the necessity of links to homelessness strategies has been promoted strongly. However one Board does not have a finalised action plan and there is a considerable commitment to ensure that this Board addresses this omission as a matter of priority. We welcome the specific practical initiatives undertaken in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth and Kinross to implement dedicated schemes for homeless people, using the flexibility of personal medical services contracts, and the specialist health centre for homeless people under construction in Aberdeen. However specialist health services should be transitional, so it is essential that mainstream health services are also able to respond appropriately to the needs of homeless people.

49. The Executive's Health Department, working with the Health and Homelessness Steering Group, has developed a further package of measures to sustain the focus on health and homelessness. This includes a second phase of Health and Homelessness Guidance to Health Boards in 2004, assessment procedures and training. It also involves revision of the health and homelessness performance indicator to ensure a concentrated focus by Health Boards upon the practical delivery of the Task Force's recommendations.

Employment

50. DWP and Jobcentre Plus have set assistance for the 'hardest to help' client group as one of their priorities. The definition of that group includes homeless people alongside clients from disadvantaged areas, ex-offenders and substance users. Jobcentre Plus is actively engaging with relevant partners to deliver the Task Force recommendations and significant progress has been made in several areas. Examples include:

  • Protocols for joint working, assessment and action (piloted in Dumfries and Glasgow)
  • Supported employment activity (e.g. Step Up pilots in East Ayrshire and Dundee and Wise Move project in Edinburgh)
  • Linkages with New Futures Fund projects
  • Use of New Deal Innovation Funding to assist the voluntary sector engage with private companies to support homeless people into work (e.g. Streetwork in Edinburgh)
  • JobCentre Plus contract with Big Issue in Edinburgh

Social networks

51. We have endorsed a Communities Scotland proposal that the Rock Trust receive seed-corn funding to set up a network to build befriending, mentoring and mediation services for homeless people across Scotland. This network, commencing in early 2004, will establish links to local authority homelessness strategies and other national policy objectives and promote approaches for enabling the social networks of homeless people to be (re)built. The network will be managed through a steering group in partnership with various players in the field, namely the Befriending Network Scotland, Scottish Mediation Network, Scottish Mentoring Network, CoSLA, SFHA, Social Work (South Ayrshire), Shelter Scotland, SCSH, GAMH, SACRO and service users' representatives. Representatives of relevant stakeholders will also be invited to join the network as deemed appropriate by the steering group.

Further research

52. As recommended by the Task Force, research and analysis on minority ethnic people and homelessness in Scotland is well underway. This is examining what additional actions may be necessary for providing homelessness services to black and minority ethnic people. The study is expected to make practical recommendations of use to local authorities and many other agencies and will be published in the early part of 2004.

EFFECTS OF CHANGES

Desired outcomes

53. In fulfilling our monitoring remit, we will judge success in preventing and tackling homelessness across the country against five high level national outcomes. These are:

  • no-one need sleep rough; The Scottish Executive set a target that this outcome should be achieved by 2003. Substantial progress has been made and this should continue to be maintained.
  • existing homelessness becomes more visible;
    In setting this outcome we intend that homelessness which is currently hidden will be revealed, i.e. that people who are statutorily homeless but not roofless will come forward. As is outlined below, homelessness applications are rising and it is possible that this is as a result of people coming forward to claim their new entitlement to accommodation, brought in by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.
  • sustainable resettlement is secured for people who have been homeless;
    This outcome is intended to measure whether homelessness is being tackled effectively, and in a manner which ensures that repeat homelessness is avoided. Current statistics on repeat homelessness indicate that 6% of homelessness households (2857 households) apply more than once a year. The Scottish Executive has stated that it aims to substantially reduce the number of households becoming homeless more than once in a year by 2006.
  • fewer people become homeless in the first place; and
    This outcome is intended to focus on preventative measures. As is noted elsewhere in this report, homelessness applications are rising at the present time, but it is hoped that over time the number of people presenting as homeless will reduce.
  • the duration of homelessness is reduced.
    Where homelessness does occur, we want to focus on ensuring that the relevant services are engaged quickly and effectively. Current statistics show that 3032 applications (16% of the total) take more than 4 months to be resolved.

54. Achieving the above outcomes will require continuous improvements in joint working between departments and agencies, better informed and more involved service users, and more appropriate service responses from both statutory and voluntary agencies. To measure progress towards all of these outcomes and to gauge the ongoing effects of both legislative and policy changes we are drawing upon information from a variety of sources.

Information Sources

55. We now have the benefit of an improved system for collecting homelessness statistics. The new electronic data capture system was introduced in December 2001 with the approval of the Task Force. Replacing an out-dated paper-based system, it provides more detailed information on applications by individual households and more timely reporting. The new HL1 return allows cases to be registered and updated on a continuous basis, as well as enabling applications made by the same household to be linked (thereby ensuring more information on cases of repeat homelessness). Snapshot information on households in temporary accommodation is still collected via the HL2 return.

56. In future, we will also consider other formal statistics collected regularly by the Executive and Communities Scotland from local authorities and other landlords as well as more general survey information, such as new homelessness data from the Scottish Household Survey. As recommended by the Task Force an expanded suite of questions on homelessness has been included in an improved Scottish Household Survey (SHS). The additional questions will help address information gaps by providing a wider understanding of homelessness trends and hidden homelessness. The new questions were piloted in 2002/3 and introduced in the SHS from April 2003 onwards. The first full year of data is expected by August 2004.

57. To measure progress towards the Executive's target that by end 2003, no-one need sleep rough, independent researchers have been commissioned to undertake twice-yearly (May and October) assessments of rough sleeping in each local authority area. Local projects provide details of the numbers sleeping rough collated during the course of a two-week period, and a total of direct-access spaces available on two given spotter nights. For the purposes of this research, rough sleeping is defined as 'having slept outside in a place not specifically designed for human habitation, at least once in the last seven days'. The last commissioned count took place in October 2003.

58. The research revealed that the total number of individuals identified across Scotland during the count period was 328. This was a significant improvement on earlier counts (May 2003 - 400, October 2002 - 404, May 2002 - 406, October 2001 - 471, May 2001 - 500). The research found that, on the October 2003 weekend spotter night, there was a surplus of direct-access places to meet demand from the number of people counted as sleeping rough but, on the mid-week spotter night, there was a deficit of 13 places across Scotland.

59. From the appraisal of homelessness strategies, we are aware of the main issues arising from local authorities' assessments of homelessness which underlie the strategies, and also of the gaps identified in the initial strategies. As Communities Scotland's inspection process rolls out, inspection reports will be an increasingly important source of information.

60. We are complementing formal data collection exercises with views and perceptions fed back from those tasked with implementing the Task Force's recommendations. We commissioned an informal survey of council staff on the impact of the new homelessness legislation and a report on wider views of the Task Force recommendations, compiled following stakeholder seminars. Coupled with the statistics, these exercises have provided insights into how the Task Force recommendations and the new legislation are being received on the ground and the impacts on policy and practice. They have also helped to highlight some of the key trends and issues to be addressed in moving forward.

Trends and Challenges

Rising applications

61. The Task Force noted that in the ten years from 1989-90 - 1999-00 the number of applications under the homelessness legislation rose by 58%, from 29,068 to 46,023. The most recent data indicates that a further increase has taken place, with 51,504 applications in 2002-03. These changes occurred in 3 main stages: between 1989 and 1993, 1997 and 1999 with the current rising trend beginning in 2001. In recent years the observed increases in levels of applications have primarily been due to the increase in the numbers of single-person households applying, with no or very little variation in applications from other household types.

62. We believe that a factor in the latest rise in applications has been the growing recognition of the need to tackle homelessness amongst single people and other groups traditionally regarded as 'non-priority'. This recognition culminated in the extension of a minimum entitlement to temporary accommodation alongside advice and assistance to all homeless people effected by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. This view has been borne out by council staff who replied to our informal survey. It appears that much of the overall increase is attributable to people coming forward who previously would not have applied as they would have had no entitlement to accommodation. We view this as a positive development - as hidden homelessness becomes visible it is more likely to be addressed.

63. The rising level of applications is, understandably, an issue for local authorities. It means additional costs in handling cases and, to a greater extent, in arranging for the provision of accommodation and support for those found to be homeless. The varying levels of increases across local authorities, and local circumstances as regards demand and supply of social housing and the level of housing support infrastructure, mean that this is not a uniform concern. It is however a significant one in many areas - the further development of local housing and homelessness strategies will set this out more clearly.

64. A number of approaches can be explored to address this issue. Local authorities' duties to assess the nature of homelessness in their area and to develop homelessness strategies, linked to local housing strategies, present an opportunity to map out the scale of the issue and to develop a strategic response. This process should also provide a firm evidence base from which to prioritise spending. Executive research to establish a model methodology for assessing the capacity of local authorities to meet the target of abolishing priority need by 2012 will support such work. The informal survey underlined the importance of planning - it indicated that in general where authorities had invested time in planning, and in engaging relevant local partners, the impact of legislative changes was being absorbed more readily.

65. There are a number of specific steps which local authorities may wish to consider in looking to boost the supply of accommodation available to people resettling from homelessness. For instance strengthening relationships with the private sector may prove fruitful, and this is an option which is being actively explored by some local authorities as part of their homelessness strategies. An increased focus on preventing homelessness occurring in the first place could also prove beneficial for many local authorities, a point stressed in feedback on homelessness strategies. The development of services such as support programmes for those facing eviction, befriending and mentoring services for young people setting up home for the first time and general debt advice should be considered.

66. We also recognise that on some occasions when councils plan for specific provision for homeless people this is met by considerable opposition from the local community. Local authorities should ensure that agencies providing accommodation consult and involve local people at the earliest opportunity.

Rising numbers of homeless households in temporary accommodation

67. Closely tied to the rising number of applications, and the new rights bestowed by legislation, is the increase in the number of homeless households accommodated in temporary accommodation. Statistics show that there has been a sustained increase during 2002-03 in the numbers of households placed in temporary accommodation by local authorities under the legislation. The figures as at 30 September 2003 (6,141) show an increase of 31% over those for 30 September 2002 (4,704), although there are substantial variations between local authorities. The most recent figures also show an increase over the previous year of 29% (from 1,490 to 1,924) 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 few years.

68. The latest figures show that 55% of households (3,369 households) in temporary accommodation were in local authority accommodation, with a further 26% (1,579 households) in hostels and 18% (1,108 households) in bed and breakfast accommodation. Households with children tended on the whole to be provided with local authority accommodation (86% - 1651 households), with a minority (8%) being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation. As at 30 September 2003, there were 148 households with children in bed and breakfast accommodation. This varied by local authority, with seven local authorities having more than 10 households with children in bed and breakfast and 10 local authorities having none.

69. The pressures on temporary accommodation were particularly emphasised by local authority staff replying to the informal survey. Many authorities reported that the level of demand for temporary accommodation had been even greater than anticipated and some that this had led to an increase in the use of B&B. The Executive remains committed to eliminating this usage for children with families, and local authorities are setting targets for achieving this in developing their homelessness strategies. The Executive has made funding available which can be used to develop alternative temporary accommodation, and local authorities are taking a number of steps locally in order to relieve the pressure on existing temporary accommodation. Following commencement of section 9 of the 2003 Act, Ministers will also have powers to prescribe the form of accommodation which can be provided. The Scottish Executive will consult on the exercise of these powers in early 2004.

70. The steps taken by local authorities have included commissioning research into the current use of temporary accommodation and developing a specific strategy based on the research findings. Other authorities are exploring options for reducing the time spent in temporary accommodation and improving throughput - this has involved, for example, reviewing allocations policies, considering long-term lease arrangements with the private sector and RSLs and focussing on increasing move-on accommodation.

71. We would advise all local authorities to consider such options, but recognise that there is likely to be a continuing issue which we will monitor closely.

Support needs

72. The statistics show that after an initial drop in the early 90s, there has been a consistent upward trend since the mid-90s in 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 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. There is substantial variation among local authorities, with Glasgow assessing 76% of applications from single-person households as priority need.

73. It may be that in some cases this reflects changes in local authorities' assessment practices, in terms of scrutinising the individual circumstances of each homeless applicant more closely. Responses to the survey reflect authorities' perceptions that more applicants have a higher level of support requirements than in previous years. These include learning difficulties, substance misuse, behavioural problems and mental ill health. Some authorities have reported that it is difficult to find suitable accommodation for such applicants; that it is difficult to develop more supported accommodation given the uncertainties surrounding funding streams and the recruitment of support staff; and that real issues can arise where applicants are not willing to engage with support provided. We would stress that local authorities must begin to plan for an increase in community care and support assessments and the ongoing support that will be required to permanently re-house these client groups.

74. The vital contribution of support provision to the successful implementation of the Task Force agenda is clear and it is essential that Supporting People, the new policy and funding framework to support vulnerable people in different types of accommodation and tenure, is fully bedded down. We welcome initiatives to recruit into, and encourage professional development within, the social care services. We believe these initiatives should be developed further and we will lend our support wherever practicable. It should also be noted that the Executive will commission research into support provision for intentionally homeless households, prior to commencing the relevant sections of the 2003 Act. This work will result in guidance for service providers on possible models of support and accommodation provision which will meet the needs of these applicants, whilst bearing in mind the needs of the wider community. Good practice in the provision of support to homelessness applicants will also emerge from the Communities Scotland inspection programme and the assessment of homelessness strategies and we will play a role in ensuring that this is disseminated.

Homelessness/general lets

75. We appreciate that the new legislation may be having an effect on the proportion of social lets which are made to people who are homeless, against lets to others on the housing list. The main evidence for this at the moment is anecdotal but this is an area which we will monitor closely in future. In considering our advice to Minister on the phasing out of priority need we will explore the impact which such expansion is likely to have on the availability of housing for those who are not homeless, to ensure the pace of this phasing is sustainable.

76. We also recognise that the most recent legislative changes may have wider-reaching implications in terms of patterns of housing allocations and more general housing market effects in the longer-term. We will remain alert to the potential knock-on effects of homelessness policy and will monitor these, including interactions with other policy initiatives such as Supporting People and the legislative developments around anti-social behaviour.

Homelessness Strategies: Key issues

77. We fully recognise that different authorities have started from different bases in terms of homelessness services and resources, and as expected, the quality of different strategies varies considerably. Overall the assessment panel are encouraged by the initial quality across the country and reported that a few strategies are excellent and have set a leading standard.

78. The most common areas to emerge as requiring strengthening are:

Evidence of corporate responsibility and working within local authorities, and of member engagement and commitment;
Clarity in the sign up, role and contribution (including resources) of partners;
Clarity of main priorities and related actions and the sequencing and timing of the delivery of these;
Involvement of people who have experienced homelessness;
Linkage to the Local Housing Strategy and coverage relating to analyses of priority need expansion; and
Coverage of key elements of the Task Force agenda - most notably:

  • Prevention (insufficient emphasis in several cases)
  • Housing Benefit targets
  • Bed and Breakfast usage for families with children
  • The employment dimension, and
  • Social networks.

79. The Panel believes that excellent inter-departmental and inter-agency planning, training and working is taking place in some authorities. In particular, links between local authority housing departments and local voluntary agencies appear to be well established in many areas. However, the common thread to emerge from the assessment process is that the majority of local authorities need to approach homelessness more corporately. In many cases there is only limited recognition of the wide range of departments who should be engaging with the strategy, and in some cases even housing and homelessness issues are not being addressed jointly. In addition, concerns about the level of engagement of external partners led the Panel to encourage local authorities and their partners to literally sign up to homelessness strategies, to ensure that the common agenda, roles and respective contributions are clearly set and understood at an early stage.

80. The Panel has provided feedback to all 32 authorities and will meet again shortly to consider the responses to feedback, the dissemination of good practice and the continuing process of monitoring and evaluating strategy implementation.

PRIORITIES FOR 2004

81. Our view of the priorities for the next phase of delivery is outlined below. These reflect our view of the essential next steps, taking account of the issues raised in feedback we have received from stakeholders. We have also set out the action we intend to take to ensure that progress is made.

82. The priorities are:

Promoting culture change in service provision

Next steps

  • All services coming into contact with people who have experienced homelessness to promote values, attitudes and behaviours which deliver responsive and personalised services.
  • Joint training to take place across local agencies.
  • People who have experienced homelessness to be better informed and more involved in the design and delivery of the services they use.

We will aim to:

Continue to promote and support action which makes culture change a reality.

Ensure that our Group is accessible for people who have experienced homelessness.

Housing supply and quality

Next steps

  • Introduction of the Scottish Social Housing Standard
  • Local Housing Strategies to be submitted by April 2004
  • Research into expansion of priority need to be completed

We will aim to:

Feed into, and draw upon, the work set out above in order to assess the current situation on supply and quality of housing and inform the Ministerial statement on the abolition of priority need which is required to be made by December 2005.

Implementing legislation

Next steps

  • Commencement of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003
  • Publication of a revised Code of Guidance on Homelessness
  • Production of regulations under s.7 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001
  • Provision of support to local authorities and other service providers charged with implementing homelessness legislation
  • Consideration of unsuitable accommodation regulations under s.9 of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003

We will aim to:

Ensure that the agreed commencement plan is followed and that local authorities, other service providers and homeless people themselves are given adequate support to understand and prepare for implementation of the new legislation

Monitor local authorities' implementation of their legislative duties towards homeless people - including overseeing the continuous improvement of homelessness and housing strategies and development of local outcome agreements specifying clear outcomes which local authorities will seek to achieve with their homelessness funding.

Secure a sound evidence base to inform the detail of the commencement plan for the 2003 Act.

Provide comments on draft regulations, and consultation material, as necessary.

Further delivery of Homelessness Task Force recommendations

The following recommendations should be given a higher priority in the next year:

  • Those focussing on benefits issues
  • Those focussing on preventing homelessness amongst institution leavers
  • Those focussing on improving tenancy sustainment
  • Those focussing on improving access to health services and employment opportunities or meaningful occupation
  • Recommendation on illegal eviction and harassment

We will aim to:

Clearly identify the agencies responsible for taking forward the recommendations, and ensure they are aware of this responsibility and addressing it.

Feed into research/reviews being carried out by DWP, determine to what extent these deliver against the Task Force's recommendations and consider the need for further action.

Ask the Scottish Executive to raise with DWP the specific issues relating to barriers to sustaining tenancies established under rent deposits schemes, as noted in recent research.

Ensure that Communities Scotland and the Scottish Executive work with the agencies that regulate prisons and care facilities to ensure clear standards for housing and homelessness services are set and monitored.

Ensure that the Executive discuss illegal eviction and harassment with ACPOS and the Crown Office, as recommended by the Task Force.

Ensure that Health services and local authorities work together to mainstream health services for homeless people.

Continue to monitor the delivery of these recommendations through homelessness strategies.

Ensure that Executive guidance reflects these recommendations and emphasises their importance.

Monitoring the decommissioning and reprovisioning of Glasgow's hostels and the delivery of RSI services

Next steps

  • Closure of 250 bed hostel in Glasgow.
  • Continued provision of direct-access accommodation and support services, including preventative measures, for people sleeping rough.

We will aim to:

Monitor the progress of the Glasgow Homelessness Partnership in achieving the milestones set out in the delivery plan for the Glasgow hostels programme.

Ensure that support services funded through the Rough Sleepers Initiative are effectively integrated into homelessness strategies

Social care/support

Next steps

  • Supporting People strategies to be assessed, and reviewed alongside homelessness strategies and Community Care plans.
  • Supporting People pipeline funding to be reviewed and decisions made for subsequent years.
  • Good practice on using Supporting People funding to be disseminated.

We will aim to:

Support national work on workforce planning for the social care sector by building a clearer picture of the social care support demands associated with the new homelessness duties, the workforce supply to meet these demands, and possible solutions to help address recruitment and retention of social care workers.

Ensure that the needs of homeless households are taken into account in work being taken forward to bed in Supporting People.

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83. In order to support the tasks outlined above, we will also continue to develop and communicate the Group's performance framework and data for monitoring delivery of Task Force recommendations and their effects, and to build wider understanding of homelessness trends and reasons for these.

84. More specifically we will advise the Executive on the quantification of its target to substantially reduce, by 2006, the number of households becoming homeless more than once in a year. We will also monitor progress against this target and promote action to help its achievement.

Page updated: Wednesday, September 13, 2006