Seòmar agus comataidhean

The reason for the increase in homeless applications during 2018-19 compared to 2017-18 is unclear. There is a mixed picture across Scotland, with seventeen local authorities seeing a decrease in the number of homeless applications received and fifteen local authorities seeing an increase. Those that have seen the largest increases are Glasgow City, Fife, North Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire.

The causes of homelessness can often be complex and not the result of a single incident or event. During 2018-19 the most common main reason for submitting a homeless application was being asked to leave (25%), followed by dispute within household: non-violent (18%) and dispute within household: violent or abusive (13%). These three categories have remained the main reasons for making a homeless application for the past 6 years. During 2018-19, 67% of applicants cited additional reasons for applying, the proportion of applicants reporting additional reasons for making a homeless application has increased from 49% in 2013-14, indicating that more households are experiencing more complex scenarios which lead to homelessness.

Other factors such as welfare reform, increased awareness and better signposting of assistance available may also have an impact on the number of applications received.

While over the last 10 years (2008-2009 to 2018-2019), there has been a 49% decrease in homelessness applications made by people formerly in the armed services, the 8 % increase in the most recent statistics published on the 26 th of June is disappointing.

We are not sure of the reasons for the increase in recent applications. It therefore serves as a reminder why tackling and preventing homelessness is a key priority for the Scottish Government. Our Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan, published in November, will transform how those at risk of homelessness receive help, this includes our commitment to developing a pathway to prevent homelessness for people with experience of the armed services.

As part of this work we will look to understand the reasons for the increase in recent applications by working with the Armed Forces community, while developing a prevention pathway for people with experience of the armed forces. We expect this work to complete next year.

Following the publication of our biannual homelessness statistics in January I wrote to City of Edinburgh Council about their breaches of the Order and subsequently met with them to discuss the circumstances around the breaches and the plans they have in place to ensure that unsuitable accommodation is not used going forward. I have written again to them following the publication of the full year statistics and requested a further meeting to discuss the progress they have made and explore what further they can do to ensure breaches do not occur again.

We launched a consultation on improving Temporary Accommodation Standards on 22 May which seeks views on extending the Unsuitable Accommodation Order to all homeless households. The consultation asks questions on whether sanctions should be introduced when local authorities breach the order.

While the number of homelessness applications from applicants formerly looked after by the Local Authority in Scotland has decreased by 45% over the last 10 years (2008-2009 to 2018-2019), the 4% increase in the most recent statistics published on 26 June is disappointing.

We are not sure of the reasons for the increase in recent applications. It therefore serves as a reminder why tackling and preventing homelessness is a key priority for the Scottish Government. Our Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan, published in November, includes our commitment to developing a pathway to prevent homelessness for people with experience of care.

As part of this work we will look to understand the reasons for the increase in recent applications by working with CELCIS to develop an improved pathway to prevent homelessness for people with experience of care. We expect this work to complete by the end of the year.

While temporary accommodation provides an important safety net in emergency situations, we want the time anyone has to spend there to be as short as possible. That is why we have agreed jointly with COSLA to support local authorities to transition to a system of rapid rehousing and Housing First by default, ensuring that people facing homelessness are supported back to a settled home that meets their needs as soon as possible.

When temporary accommodation is needed, it is important that it is of good quality which is why we will introduce standards for temporary accommodation and extend the seven day restriction on time spent in unsuitable temporary accommodation to all people experiencing homelessness.

We are working with all 32 Local Authorities through their Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans which set out how each local authority intends to implement and transition to a rapid rehousing and Housing First approach to reduce the amount of temporary accommodation being used and the length of stay in there. Implementation of these plans began in April 2019 and the Scottish Government has made £24m available to support implementation over the next 3 years.

The final details of the voluntary review into the reasons behind the increased numbers recorded by Glasgow City Council as failing to be offered temporary accommodation are currently being developed by Scottish Government in partnership with Glasgow City Council officials. A first meeting is planned for 2 nd August. The review is not a Scottish Government intervention and findings will be reported to the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership for improvement purposes.

The increase in the number of households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness since 2017-18, is likely due to the increase in the number of applications over the same period. The number of homeless assessments has increased broadly in line with the number of homeless applications, which increased by 3%. While the number of applicants assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness has increased, the proportion of all assessment decisions assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness has stayed within one percentage point for the last 5 years (82%-83%).

While temporary accommodation provides an important safety net in emergency situations, we want the time anyone has to spend there to be as short as possible. That is why we have agreed jointly with COSLA to support local authorities to transition to a system of rapid rehousing and Housing First by default, ensuring that people facing homelessness are supported back to a settled home that meets their needs as soon as possible.

When temporary accommodation is needed, it is important that it is of good quality which is why in 2017 we legislated via the Unsuitable Accommodation Order to reduce the time that families and pregnant woman stay in unsuitable accommodation from 14 to 7 days therefore providing extra support for families and children.

We are working with all 32 Local Authorities through their Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans which set out how each local authority intends to implement and transition to a rapid rehousing and Housing First approach to reduce the amount of temporary accommodation being used and the length of stay in there. Implementation of these plans began in April 2019 and the Scottish Government has made £24m available to support implementation over the next 3 years.

We have also undertaken in-depth analysis on the reasons behind increases in the number of children staying in temporary accommodation which showed variations across local authority areas. A key element of the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan is an assessment of the local housing market and as part of that, each local authority should consider the accommodation they have available to house families with children.

While the number of homelessness applications from people leaving previous accommodation due to violent or abusive dispute within the household has decreased by 26% over the last 10 years (2008-2009 to 2018-2019), the 3% increase in the most recent statistics published on the 26 th of June is disappointing.

We want to prevent homelessness as a result of a violent or abusive dispute within the household. Our Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan, published in November, includes our commitment to developing a pathway to prevent homelessness for survivors of domestic abuse. We are working with third sector partners to help us understand the reasons for the recent increase in applications and to scope the pathway. Work will complete next year.