2. 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 about 57,500 in 2007-08 and 2008-09 and then below 57,000 in 2009-10.
Chart 1: Scotland: Number of applications and assessments under the homelessness legislation
2.3. 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. Legislative change 3 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.
Assessments
2.4 Of the 56,428 applications in 2009-10 for which application details have been received, 42,207 were assessed as homeless or potentially homeless and 36,067 were assessed as priority. ( Table 1). Those with a priority assessment represent 85% of those assessed as homeless. The proportion of homeless assessed as priority increased by 3 percentage points in 2007-08, a further 3 percentage points in 2008-09 and by 2 percentage points in 2009-10, and measures progress against national indicator 28 - "All unintentionally homeless households will be entitled to settled accommodation by 2012" 4.
Chart 2: Scotland: Percentage of homeless applicants assessed as priority homeless
Outcomes
2.5 As a consequence of the increasing numbers of households assessed as priority, the number securing settled accommodation has increased markedly since 2001-02 while the number securing hostel accommodation has fallen. The number of homeless households securing a permanent let in social rented accommodation increased from a little under 12,000 in 2002-03 to reach over 20,000 in 2009-10. ( Table 8.) The increase of 2,904 (17%) between 2007-08 and 2009-10 (including an increase by 1,100 in the last year) is due to the increase in priority assessments as councils move towards the 2012 homelessness commitment.
Chart 3: Scotland: Accommodation secured by homeless applicants
Temporary accommodation
2.6 Homeless applicants may be placed in temporary accommodation while the council assesses their application or while awaiting the offer of settled accommodation. Also, non-priority applicants and those assessed as intentionally homeless may be placed in temporary accommodation as the outcome of their application.
2.7 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 10,815 at 31 March 2010 5. ( Table 11). At 31 March 2010, there were 3,724 households with children in temporary accommodation. ( Table 11). Households with children currently represent just over a third (34%) of all households in temporary accommodation.
Chart 4: Scotland: Households in temporary accommodation at 31 March each year
