INTRODUCTION
1. This Statistics release presents information on homelessness applications, assessments and outcomes up to the end of September 2008 and on households in temporary accommodation up to end December 2008. The report updates annual analyses for 2007-08 and earlier years incorporating updated information received from councils since the last publication in September 2008. The information on numbers in temporary accommodation also includes numbers of households with children or a household member pregnant in unsuitable accommodation.
The purpose of this web only publication is to give an overview of key trends and features of homelessness applications in Scotland. Beginning with the September 2008 publication we have also been developing a set of reference tables providing a wider and more detailed suite of analyses for Scotland and Scottish local authorities. The tables, together with guidance on the various sources of homelessness statistics can be found by accessing a link on the web page below:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/PubHomeless
MAIN POINTS
3. The main points are:-
Applications
- The number of applications for homeless assistance between April and September 2008 (29,361) was 2% higher than in the same period in 2007. This increase follows reductions in applications in 2006 and 2007.
- Single people and single parents account for 85% of homeless applicants. Between April and September 2008 60% of applicants were single people and 25% were from single parents. Overall, 33% of applicants were from households with children (Supplementary Table B).
Assessments
- The number of applicants assessed as homeless between April and September 2008 increased by 2% over the same period in 2007 - the same rate of increase as for applications over the period.
- Between April and September 2008 83% of applicants assessed as homeless were accorded priority status. This is an increase of 4% over the same period in 2007. Increases in the proportion accorded priority status reflects progress towards the 2012 homelessness commitment.
- Between April and September 2008 in 4 councils over 90% of homeless applicants were accorded priority status; in 15 councils between 80% and 90% of homeless were priority, in 10 councils between 70% and 80%; and in 3 council areas between 60% and 70% were priority.
Reasons for homelessness
- 13,296 or 45% of applications between April and September 2008 stated they had been living with relatives, friends or partners prior to applying under homeless legislation. 10,492 or 36% of applicants were either renting property or were an owner occupier. Of those, owner occupiers accounted for 7% of all applicants.
- The main reasons for applying as homeless were household disputes or relationship breakdown (28%) and being asked to leave (25%).
- 6% of homeless applications(1,634) stated that the reason for the application was due to financial reasons - termination of tenancy/mortgage due to rent arrears or a default of payments. Of these, 392 applications were by owner occupiers citing mortgage default as the reason for applying.
Outcomes
- Between April and September 2008 social rented tenancies were offered to 60% of applicants who had been assessed as unintentionally homeless and in priority need of whom 54% accepted the offer; 5% were offered a private tenancy almost all of whom accepted the offer and 4% were offered temporary accommodation of whom 3% accepted the offer. Contact was lost with 19% of this group.
- Between April and September 2008 10,592 households secured permanent accommodation of whom 5,570 were in local authority accommodation, 3,446 were with housing associations and 1,576 were in private rented accommodation.
Temporary accommodation
- At 31 December 2008 there were 9,536 households in temporary accommodation, having been placed there as part of a homelessness application. After adjusting for a change in reporting by Glasgow this represents an underlying increase of 7% in the number of households in temporary accommodation since 31 December 2007.
- As at 31 December 2008 62% of households in temporary accommodation were provided with social sector accommodation, with a further 11% in hostels and 17% in Bed & Breakfast accommodation.
- Of the 9,536 households in temporary accommodation at 31 December 2008, 3,682 (39%) were households with children or a household member pregnant.
- Households with dependent children tend on the whole to be provided with social sector housing (85%) with a minority(2%) placed in Bed & Breakfast accommodation.
- There were 36 breaches of the 2004 Unsuitable Accommodation Order reported as at 31 December 2008.
APPLICATIONS
4. Between April and September 2008 there were 29,361 applications for homelessness assistance in Scotland. This was 2% higher than in the same period in 2007 and, as can be seen from chart 1 suggests that the fall in applications since 2006 may be beginning to reverse. The largest impact on numbers of homelessness applications has been through changes in legislation which gave improved rights to single homeless applicants from 2002-03. Improved rights encouraged significant numbers of single homeless to apply for the first time and effectively uncovered significant levels of previously hidden homelessness among single people.
5. From Chart 1, around 60 percent of homeless applications are from single people and 25% from single parents. Just under a third of applications are from households with children. The growth in homelessness applications between 2000-01 and 2005-06 was mainly due to increases in the number of applications by single people. While a large part of this increase is likely to be due to the legislative changes discussed above, the longer term growth in single applicants will also reflect wider social change towards more single person households in all age groups.
Chart 1:
ASSESSMENTS
6. Between April and September 2008 councils assessed 29,372 applications. Of these 21,013 (72%) were assessed as homeless. Of the homeless assessments 17,477 (83%) were accorded priority status.
7. Changes in the proportion of priority assessments reflect progress towards the 2012 homelessness commitment - that by 2012 all homeless households will have the same entitlement to settled accommodation as those assessed as priority 1. From Chart 3, the proportion of homeless households assessed as priority increased from just over 70% during April and September 2002 to 83% between April and September 2008. From the chart, the increase in this percentage has been more marked over the last 18 months.
7. Table 5 shows, for each local authority, the recent quarterly trend in the proportion of homeless households accorded priority status by councils. From Chart 4, by April - September 2008 in 4 councils over 90% of homeless applicants were accorded priority status; in 15 councils - between 80% and 90% of homeless were priority, in 10 councils between 70% and 80%, and in 3 council areas between 60% and 70% were priority.
8. Between April and September 2008, 74% of households with children were assessed as priority homeless, 8% were not homeless and contact was lost or the application was withdrawn for 14% of applications. [ Table 10]. Of the 19,613 households without children assessed in the period, 52% were accorded priority status, 18% were assessed as non-priority homeless and 6% as not homeless. Of this group contact was lost or application was withdrawn for 19% of applicants.
Chart 2:
Chart 3:
Chart 4:
REASONS FOR HOMELESSNESS
9. From 1 April 2007 the homelessness statistics proforma has gathered information on the previous housing circumstances of homeless applicants. This, taken together with information on the main reasons for becoming homeless, gives some insight into the causes of homelessness. Tables 5a+ b and & 6a+b show, respectively, the previous housing circumstances and main reasons for homelessness in each quarter from April to June 2007 up to July to September 2008.
10. The pattern of previous housing circumstances of homeless applicants has remained broadly the same since the question was introduced in April 2007 (see table 5). Between April and September 2008 27% of applicants had previously been living with parents or relatives, 18% had been living with friends or partners, 14% had been renting privately, 10% were renting from a local authority, 4% renting from a housing association; and 7% were owner occupiers. Some 3% of applicants were previously in temporary accommodation or roofless, 4% had been in prison, 1% in hospital and 2% in other forms of supported accommodation.
11. Between April and September 2008, 25% of homeless or potentially homeless applicants give as their main reason for applying as homeless that they were asked to leave their present accommodation, 17% cited relationship breakdown and 11% were homeless because a violent or abusive dispute within the household. In the same period, 6% became homeless for direct financial reasons such as rent arrears or mortgage default and 8% because of other action by their landlord. Some 5% of applicants in the period gave discharge from prison, hospital, care etc. as the reason for their homelessness.
12. Reasons for applying as homeless and the prior housing circumstances of homeless applicants are closely related. Table 7 shows for applications between April and September the main reason for homelessness against previous housing circumstances. While this is a very detailed table it draws out some of the key combinations of housing circumstances and other factors giving rise to homelessness. For example while significant numbers of applicants who previously rented or owned a property became homeless because of the loss of their tenancy or property, similar numbers become homeless because of relationship breakdown, or through non-domestic violence or harassment. For those becoming homeless from the parental or family home or from friends or partners, being asked to leave is the main reason for homelessness with significant numbers also becoming homeless as a result of relationship breakdown.
13. Table 8 shows for each quarter from April to June 2007, the main reasons for homelessness for those who had previously rented or owned their accommodation. As noted in the previous paragraph, relationship breakdown is an important factor for this group. Otherwise, key points from the analysis are:-
- Between April and September 2008 14% of applicants who previously rented from a local authority, 15% of those renting from a housing association and 12% of those previously renting privately became homeless because of rent arrears.
- Of those who had previously been owner occupiers, 20%(392) became homeless because of mortgage default.
- Non-domestic violence/ harassment is a significantly more important factor among those previously renting from a local authority or housing association compared with applicants becoming homeless from other tenures, accounting for 28% of applications by local authority tenants and 25% for housing association tenants in contrast to 4% of applicants from private renting and 1% of previous owner occupiers.
- For those who had previously rented privately 'other action by the landlord' accounted for 43% of applicants from this tenure. This is likely to be due to combinations of changes in circumstances for the landlord, or tenancies not being renewed at the end of a contract period.
14. Relationship breakdown is the main cause of homelessness among those who were previously living with parents, family, friends or partners. From table 9, between April and September 2008 51% of those becoming homeless while living with parents or relatives gave 'being asked to leave' as the main reason for their application and 29% cited disputes within the household. In the same period 38% of those becoming homeless from living with friends or partners cited 'being asked to leave' and 45% cited disputes within the household.
OUTCOMES
15. Reflecting the different legislative duties on councils arising from the homelessness assessment there is a marked difference between the housing outcomes offered to applicants depending on assessment. Between April and September 2008 social rented tenancies were offered to 60% of those who had been assessed as unintentionally homeless and in priority need and whose case concluded in the period. Of these 54% accepted the offer. In the same period 5% were offered a private tenancy almost all of whom accepted the offer and 4% were offered temporary accommodation of whom 3% accepted the offer. Of the 720 households assessed as in priority need and intentionally homeless 13% were offered a social tenancy and 5% a private tenancy, 28% were offered temporary accommodation and 21% advice and assistance only. Of the 3,647 non-priority homeless whose application was concluded in the period 34% were offered advice and assistance only, 30% were offered temporary accommodation, 6% offered a social tenancy and 4% offered a private tenancy. Some 65% of those who were not homeless were offered advice and assistance only.
16. Between April and September 2008 10,592 households secured permanent accommodation of whom 5,570 were in local authority accommodation, 3,446 were with housing associations and 1,576 were in private rented accommodation. As a consequence of the increase in the proportion of households assessed as priority as councils move towards the 2012 homelessness commitment the number of homeless households being offered permanent accommodation is increasing. (Chart 5). The increase in housing association tenancies secured over the period is in part due to the transfer of local authority housing to housing associations, but also reflects a more general increase in the share of lets to homeless households by housing associations.
Chart 5:
17. Between April and September 2008 1,080 applicants were placed in temporary accommodation as the outcome of their application. (Chart 6) The large fall in numbers placed in temporary accommodation during 2005 and 2006 is in part due to the Glasgow hostels decommissioning programme and the increasing proportions of applicants assessed as priority.
Chart 6:
HOUSEHOLDS IN TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION
18. At 31 December 2008 there were 9,536 households in temporary accommodation who had been placed there either during their application or as the outcome of their application. After adjusting for a change in reporting by Glasgow, this represents an increase of 7% over 31 December 2007.
19. While the number of households placed in temporary accommodation as the outcome of their application has been falling, the total number of homeless households in temporary accommodation has been increasing. This increase has been driven mainly by increases in the amount of time needed to secure accommodation for increasing numbers of priority applicants.
20. Between 31 December 2007 and 2008, 15 local authorities showed an increase in households in temporary accommodation of more than 10%, while 3 local authorities had a decrease of more than 10% ( Table 17).
21. At 31 December 2008 there were 3,682 households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation. This represents an increase of 371 households or 11% compared to 31 December 2007. ] ( Table 12).
22 As at 31 December 2008, 5,914 of households in temporary accommodation were in local authority or housing association accommodation, with a further 1,036 in hostels and 1,662 in bed and breakfast accommodation ( Table 12).
23. Households with children tend to be provided with local authority or housing association accommodation 85%, with a minority, 2% being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation. As at 31 December 2008, there were 91 households with children or pregnant women in bed and breakfast accommodation. This varied by local authority, with 21 local authorities having none or only one household with children in bed and breakfast, and 3 local authorities having more than 10 ( Table 16). The proportion of households with children in bed and breakfast accommodation has been dropping steadily since 2005.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNSUITABLE ACCOMMODATION ORDER
24. A total of 36 breaches of the Order were reported at 31 December 2008. Due to the relatively small numbers, there is considerable variation in the figures since local authorities began submitting data in 2005.
25. The most recent set of breaches for 31 December 2008 were distributed across 8 local authorities, with 24 having none. ( Table 18). This represents 1% of households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation at that point.