1: INTRODUCTION AND MAIN POINTS
1.1 This Statistics Bulletin provides information on homelessness applications, assessments and outcomes to 31 March 2009. It includes information on the characteristics of applicant households, local authority assessments and the action taken in respect of cases that were concluded. Snapshot data on households in temporary accommodation at 31 March are presented, together with data on the implementation of the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2004.
1.2 A key feature of this bulletin is an assessment of authorities progress in 2008-09 against interim targets marking progress towards the 2012 homelessness commitment. Section 4 describes the commitment, the basis of the interim targets and reports progress.
1.3 The purpose of this web only publication is to give an overview of key trends and features of homelessness in Scotland. As a consequence the bulletin provides mainly summary tables and charts. More detailed reference tables providing among other things the full suite of detailed tables in previous bulletins have also been published on the Scottish Government website at Housing and Regeneration - Publications
1.4 The main points are:-
Applications
- There were an estimated 57,304 applications to local authorities under the Homeless Persons legislation in 2008-09. This represents an increase of 0.2% compared to the 57,169 applications during 2007-08 (Section 1: Table 1 and Chart 1).
- The majority of households applying were single-person households 61%, mainly men. Single parents, predominantly women, accounted for the next largest group 24%. (Section 1: Chart 2).
- In 2008-09 28% of homelessness applications were because of a dispute in the household and a further 26% were because the applicant had been asked to leave.
- Rent arrears or mortgage default account for around 6% of all homelessness applications in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
- An additional 6% of applicants cited financial difficulties debt or unemployment as a contributory factor. The number citing financial difficulties, debt or unemployment as a contributory factor to their homelessness increased by 206 between 2007-08 and 2008-09, a 6% increase.
Assessments
The proportion of homeless applicants assessed as priority marks progress towards the 2012 homelessness commitment that all homeless applicants will be entitled to settled accommodation by the end of 2012. In December 2005 the then Scottish Executive set interim targets for each local authority of the percentage of homeless applicants assessed as priority by March 2009; marking progress at around the half way stage to 2012.
- Of the 40,513 applications assessed as homeless in 2008-09 in Scotland as a whole - 33,688 (83%) were assessed as priority. This was a 3 percentage points increase over 2007-08. ( Table 1 and Chart 3).
- 14 councils reached or exceeded their 2009 interim target during 2008-09 as a whole ( Section 4: Table 6a).
- A further 5 councils reached or exceeded their 2009 interim target in 1 or more quarters in 2008-09. ( Section 4, Table 6b).
- Priority assessments in 6 councils in 2008-09 were 10 or more percentage points below their 2009 target. ( Section 4, Table 6a).
Outcomes
- In 2008-09 18,837 households secured a social rented tenancy as the outcome of their homelessness application, an increase of 1,595 (9%) over 2007-08 (Section 1: Chart 4 and Table 8).
- The number of homeless applicants securing a social rented tenancy has increased by 7,737 (70%) since 2000-01. ( Section 5, Chart 21 and Table 8)
Temporary accommodation
- At 31 March 2009 there were 10,053 households in temporary accommodation who had been placed there under the Homeless Persons legislation. ( Section 6: Table 9). This represents an increase of some 5% compared to the situation at 31 March 2008.
- At 31 March 2009 there were 3,825 households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation a fall of some 4% since March 2008. ( Section 6: Table 10)
- At 31 March 2009, there were 86 households with children or pregnant women in bed and breakfast accommodation. This varied by local authority, with 17 local authorities having none, 6 councils having one household with children in bed and breakfast and 3 local authorities - Fife, Highland and Perth & Kinross having more than 10. ( Section 6: Table 11)
- A total of 30 breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order were reported at 31 March 2009; a little below half the 62 breaches reported at 31 March 2008. ( Section 6: Table 12).
- Councils with the largest number of households housed in breach of the order were Highland (14 households), Moray (6 households) and Fife (5 households).