2: MAIN NATIONAL TRENDS
Applications
2.1 The number of applications to councils for assistance each year under the homelessness legislation, which had remained between 40,000 and 45,000 per year in the mid to late 1990s, increased rapidly from 2000-01 to a high point of about 60,500 in 2005-06. This increase is likely to be due, in part to changes in homelessness legislation which placed new duties on local authorities to provide temporary accommodation to all assessed as non-priority homeless who previously would have received advice and assistance only. Since 2005-06 the number applying for assistance has fallen to a little over 57,000 in 2007-08 and 2008-09. There has been a small increase of 0.2% between 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Chart 1: Scotland: Number of applications and assessments under the homelessness legislation
2.2 In recent years increases in applications have primarily been due to the increase in the numbers of single-person households applying, together with a more modest increase in applications from single parents (Chart 2). Legislative change 1 is likely to have been an important driver of this increase as single applicants have benefited most from the changes. However, some of the increase may also reflect wider social change with increasing proportions of young people living independently as well as an increase in the rate of household dissolution following breakdown of relationships.
Chart 2: Scotland: Applications by household type
Assessments
2.3 Of the 57,304 applications in 2008-09 40,513 were assessed as homeless or potentially homeless, 33,688 were assessed as priority and 1,260 had yet to be assessed at the time of the analysis. (Chart 1 and Table 1). Those with a priority assessment represent 83% of those assessed as homeless. This is a 3.0 percentage points increase over 2007-08 which in turn was a 3.0 percentage points increase over 2006-07. (Chart 1 and table 3). The proportion of homeless households assessed as priority measures progress against national indicator 28 - "All unintentionally homeless households will be entitled to settled accommodation by 2012" 2.
Chart 3: Scotland: Percentage of homeless applicants assessed as priority homeless
Outcomes
2.4 As a consequence of the increasing numbers of households assessed as priority, the number securing permanent accommodation has increased markedly since 2001-02 while the number securing hostel accommodation has fallen. (Chart 4 and table 7). The number of homeless households securing a permanent let in social rented accommodation increased from a little under 12,000 2002-03 to reach over 18,800 in 2008-09. The marked increase of 1,595 (9%) between 2007-08 and 2008-09 is due to the increase in priority assessments as councils move towards the 2012 homelessness commitment.
Chart 4: Scotland: Accommodation secured by homeless applicants
Temporary accommodation
2.5 Homeless applicants may be placed in temporary accommodation while the council assesses their application or while awaiting the offer of a permanent let. Also, non-priority applicants and those assessed as intentionally homeless may be placed in temporary accommodation as the outcome of their application.
2.6 Mainly reflecting the increase in applications since 2001-02, there has been a marked and consistent increase in the number of households in temporary accommodation from around 4,000 at 31 March 2002 to over 10,000 at 31 March 2009 3. (Chart 5). At 31 March 2009 there were 3,825 households with children in temporary accommodation ( Table 9). The reduction of 163 (4% reduction) between 31 March 2007 and 31 March 2008 in the number of households with children in temporary accommodation is mainly due to the number of Glasgow 'legacy cases' in temporary accommodation. (See note 2 below and more detailed explanation in the notes to the tables). Households with children currently represent just under two fifths (38%) of all households in temporary accommodation.
Chart 5: Scotland: Households in temporary accommodation at 31 March each year
