INTEGRATING OTHER STRATEGIES
62. Homelessness, housing support and fuel poverty are now to be addressed within the local housing strategy.
Homelessness
63. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 places a statutory duty on each local authority to carry out an assessment of homelessness in its area and to prepare and submit a strategy for preventing and alleviating homelessness in its area. This strategy should now be fully integrated into the local housing strategy and should be underpinned by accurate and comprehensive information on the extent and nature of homelessness within the local area.
64. Preventing and tackling homelessness is a key part of fighting poverty and inequality in Scotland. The Government is implementing policies and legislation to prevent and alleviate homelessness and to ensure that every homeless household gets help according to their needs.
65. Local authorities are working to prevent homelessness and to ensure that a higher proportion of homeless households than ever before have the right to settled accommodation. The legislative target is that by 2012 every unintentionally homeless household will be entitled to settled accommodation. Local authorities should consider within the local housing strategy how they will continue to work towards the 2012 target and beyond. Coverage of homelessness within the new-style local housing strategy, should build upon the existing homelessness strategy in place in the local authority.
66. The integration of homelessness within the local housing strategy will enable appropriate housing solutions to be developed where housing factors have been identified as a driver for homelessness. Housing supply responses to address the projected requirements in relation to the 2012 Homelessness target will have been taken into account in setting the overall housing supply target included in the local housing strategy, and the associated investment should be identified in the Strategic Housing Investment Plan.
67. In developing the local housing strategy, local authorities should work closely with registered social landlords and private sector landlords in their area in order to ensure that the contribution made by these sectors towards meeting the 2012 target is at the optimal level. This could include reviewing any existing protocols with registered social landlords, examining options for partnership working with private landlords and continuing to develop rent deposit schemes. The Scottish Government has recently launched a consultation on amending the Homelessness Person Interim Accommodation (Scotland Regulations) 2002 to allow local authorities more flexibility in discharging their homelessness duties, with a view to enabling wider use of the private rented sector where this will meet the needs of homeless households. Outputs from the Scottish Government's review of the private rented sector should further assist local authorities in this regard.
68. An integrated local housing strategy should also identify and make provision for appropriate support as well as considering the physical housing aspects.
69. The Scottish Government will produce specific guidance on preventing homelessness which will supplement the current coverage in Chapter 2 of the Code of Guidance on Homelessness and follows on from research on this issue published last year. This will be helpful to local authorities in preparing their local housing strategy and is likely to be available by the end of March 2009. Short notes on prevention of homelessness, planning accommodation and support services in relation to rough sleepers and repeat homelessness, along with links to additional information and useful contacts can be accessed on the Scottish Government website 17.
Housing Support Services
70. Housing support services (previously known as Supporting People services) play a crucial role in ensuring that that people can live independently in all types of accommodation and tenure.
71. From April 2008 Supporting People is no longer a separate funding stream but has been absorbed into the main local government settlement as part of the Concordat. While the ring-fencing has been removed around the funding the Scottish Government remains committed to the importance of housing support in enabling people to live fulfilling independent lives. Under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 local authorities have a duty to promote social welfare by making available advice, guidance and assistance on a scale appropriate for their area and the 2001 Housing (Scotland) Act reinforces the requirement to assess provision of housing and related services in their area. The integration of housing support into the local housing strategy reflects the importance of ensuring that physical housing development and planning is not seen in isolation from the support and services that are required to enable individuals to maintain their housing.
72. The local housing strategy should identify how housing support needs will be addressed.
73. It will be important for outcomes and actions in the local housing strategy to be consistent with other relevant outcomes, strategies and action plans, for example in relation to support for older people or people with physical and learning disabilities, victims of domestic violence, young people leaving care, substance addictions, reducing re-offending and supporting families at risk. The relationship between housing support and social care is particularly important. Part of the rationale behind the removal of ring fencing around the Supporting People budget was to remove the often arbitrary distinction that had to be made between care and support and to ensure a focus on best meeting service user needs. Local authorities should consider the role that housing support (along with aids and adaptations, care and repair and other housing services) can make to "shifting the balance of care" between NHS and community based support and in supporting The Same as You agenda 18.
Eradicating fuel poverty
74. The eradication of fuel poverty is a priority within the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and the Scottish Government is committed to ending fuel poverty in Scotland as far as is reasonably practicable by 2016. Local authorities have a key role to play in achieving this goal, and many have already taken significant steps towards it.
75. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 specifically states that, in relation to local housing strategies, such strategies should be accomplished in a manner that ensures, so far as reasonably practicable, that persons do not live in fuel poverty.
76. It is expected that agreed outcomes and any targets set as regards the alleviation of fuel poverty should feature in the local housing strategy and reference be made there to the key approaches and to significant projects that will be undertaken to meet these. While there is now no requirement for local authorities to develop specific stand alone fuel poverty strategies it is anticipated that local authorities will still find it helpful to develop action plans to facilitate taking forward work on addressing their fuel poverty outcomes. Equalities issues which are expected to be embedded throughout the local housing strategy need specific attention in developing and delivering fuel poverty outcomes.
77. Separate more detailed guidance designed to assist local authorities meet their fuel poverty obligations is being prepared and will be available shortly and will be helpful in preparing the local housing strategy.