1. INTRODUCTION AND MAIN POINTS
1.1 This statistics bulletin provides information on homelessness applications, assessments and outcomes to 31 March 2010. 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 and notifications of households at risk of homelessness due to eviction.
1.2 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 a full suite of detailed tables have also been published on the Scottish Government website.
1.3 The main points are:-
Applications
- An estimated 56,669 1 applications under the Homeless Persons legislation were made to local authorities in 2009-10, a decrease of 1.6% compared to the 57,595 applications during 2008-09 ( Table 1).
- The majority (61%) of households who presented as homeless were single-person households. Most of these were single male households. Single parent households, predominantly female, accounted for the next largest group (24%). ( Supplementary table B.)
- In 2009-10, 47% of applications were made by applicants who were living with friends of family before applying for assistance. A further 36% were by applicants who owned or rented their accommodation before applying. ( Table 3.)
- Disputes within the household/ relationship breakdown led to 29% of homelessness applications in 2009-10. An additional 26% gave the reason that they were asked to leave their previous accommodation. ( Table 4.)
- Rent arrears or mortgage default account for around 5% of all homelessness applications in 2009-10. ( Table 4.)
Assessments
- In 2009-10, 42,921 applications were assessed as homeless in Scotland, an increase of 939 (2%) since 2008-09.
The proportion of homeless applicants assessed as priority marks progress towards the 2012 homelessness commitment that all unintentionally homeless households will be entitled to settled accommodation by the end of 2012.
- Of the applications assessed as homeless, 36,643 (85%) were assessed as priority. This was a 2 percentage points increase in the proportion assessed as priority over 2008-09. ( Table 6a.)
- The proportion of homeless assessed as priority increased between 2008-09 and 2009-10 in 24 of the 32 Scottish local authority areas and decreased in 8 local authorities.
- Overall, the position reached by local authorities in 2009-10 is that:-
- In 9 local authorities, over 90% of homeless assessments were accorded priority. These include Dundee at 99%, West Dunbartonshire at 98%, Renfrewshire at 96% and Angus, where 100% of homeless assessments were accorded priority.
- In 16 local authority areas, between 80 and 90 per cent of homeless were accorded priority.
- In 4 local authority areas, between 70 and 80 per cent of homeless were accorded priority.
- In 3 local authority areas, under 70 per cent of homeless were assessed as priority. These were East Lothian (60%), Scottish Borders (68%) and Shetland (64%). In each of these areas, the proportion of homeless accorded priority decreased between 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Action taken by councils to meet their homelessness duty
- In 2009-10, 21,091 homeless households were offered a social rented tenancy, most of whom (18,867 cases or 89%) took up the offer. (Table 8c).
- In 2009-10 a private rented tenancy was offered to 1,493 households, almost all of whom (99%) accepted the offer. The number of private rented offers to homeless households was 358 (19%) lower than in 2008-09. (Table 8c)
Final outcomes of applications
- In 2009-10 12,334 homeless applicants secured a local authority let and 8,002 homeless applicants secured a housing association let as the final outcome of their application.
- Lets to homeless applicants in 2009-10 accounted for an estimated 42% of available social lets in the period.
Temporary accommodation
- At 31 March 2010 there were 10,815 households in temporary accommodation who had been placed there under the Homeless Persons legislation, an increase of 8% compared to the number as at 31 March 2009. ( Table 11.)
- At 31 March 2010 there were 3,724 households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation, a fall of 3% since March 2009. ( Table 11.)
- At 31 March 2010, there were 53 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 2 local authorities - Fife and Highland - having 10 or more. ( Table 14.)
- A total of 9 breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order were reported at 31 March 2010; a significant drop compared to the 30 breaches at 31 March 2009.
Households at risk of homelessness due to eviction: notifications under section 11 of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003
- A total of 3,645 notifications to local authorities under section 11 of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003 2 of households at risk of homelessness due to eviction were received in the quarter ending 31 March 2010. Of these, 2,480 (68%) were by creditors, 1,040 (29%) were by housing associations and 125 (3%) were by private landlords.