Elected Member Briefing - Mid-year homelessness figures

About this Briefing Note

Report by: Elaine Ritchie, Senior Service Manager, Housing

EMBN Number: 022-24

Date: 29th February 2024

Subject: Mid-year homelessness figures

Responsible Officer: Martin Smith, Service Manager

Details

Purpose

This briefing note is to inform you about the mid-year homelessness statistics for Scotland that were published this week, and Perth and Kinross Council's updated homelessness performance.

Briefing Information

National picture

The Scottish Government this week published the statistics bulletin Homelessness in Scotland: update to 30 September 2023, providing mid-year homelessness information for Scotland.

The report uses snapshot data from 30 September 2023 and compares various indicators with the position on 30 September 2022. There has been a delay in publishing the mid-year report.

These latest figures show that homelessness is a growing challenge for all local authorities. This is due to issues such as the high cost of living, and pressures on the housing system nationally in terms of availability, accessibility and affordability.

Nationally, there have been increases across all key homelessness indicators:

• The number of live/open cases has increased by 10% to 30,724. These are people/households that local authorities have accepted a homelessness duty to, who are waiting on an offer of permanent accommodation.
• The number of new homelessness applications in the 12 months to 30 September 2023 increased by 7% nationally.
• The number of households in temporary accommodation in Scotland increased by 8% to 15,625.
• The number of children in temporary accommodation in Scotland also increased by 8% to 9,860.

Perth and Kinross Council performance

We have been repeatedly recognised as one of the leading local authorities in Scotland in this area of work. Reflecting the national picture, the situation has been challenging for us, but the statistics show that Perth & Kinross Council's Housing Service is continuing to deliver sector-leading outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.

The figures show that, despite significantly increased demand alongside a sharp reduction in properties available to allocate, key performance indicators such as the average duration of homelessness and average length of stay in temporary accommodation we continue to be well below the national average.

The new Scottish Government performance statistics showed that in Perth & Kinross:

• We saw a 29% increase in homelessness presentations - an increase from 639 presentations to 825 between September 2022 and September 2023.  This is a similar position to the 2022/23 figures where we had a 19% increase. It should be noted that there is a degree of crossover with these data sets as the figures in the most recent publication include the second half of 2022/23. The most common reasons for homelessness presentations in Perth and Kinross are 'asked to leave', most commonly by family members, and 'relationship breakdown'. This is in line with the national position.
• The current position with homelessness presentations is slightly more positive. Up to 28 February 2024, we have received 764 presentations in the year to date compared to 662 in the same period last year. This is an increase of 13%.
• There were 224 live cases on 30 September 2023, an increase of 53. Work has been done to address a known system issue around live case reporting, and we expect to see a significant reduction in live cases when the next set of data is published. Our own reporting of active live cases is 144 as of 27 February 2024, with 40 cases under-offer and 40 waiting for an offer of housing.
• We had a total of 61 households in temporary accommodation in Perth and Kinross at the reporting date of 31 December 2023. Only two other local authorities had less households in temporary accommodation. We had 10 children in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2022, and 25 on the same date in 2023. This is shown as a 150% increase but needs to be viewed in the context of the very low number in Perth and Kinross.
• In terms of average length of stay in temporary accommodation, the national average for the 12 months to 30 September 2023 was 216 days. In Perth and Kinross we continued to have the strongest performance in this area, with an average of 63 days.
• In the year to 30 September 2023, there were 4,305 breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order by 25 local authorities. Perth & Kinross Council has not breached the Unsuitable Accommodation Order since 2008.
• Average homeless case duration is not covered in detail in the Scottish Government's mid-year report. However, we are confident that our year-to-date performance of an average of 77 days will be the lowest of any Scottish local authority.

The Council has taken a 'Home First' approach to tackling homelessness since 2017. Home First was introduced with the aim of providing a direct route for homeless people into settled accommodation, reducing the need for temporary accommodation and minimising the duration, impact, stigma, and cost of homelessness.

In 2018, the Scottish Government instructed all local authorities in Scotland to produce a Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP) - with the main aim of moving to a rapid rehousing approach over a five-year period. Our Home First approach enabled Perth & Kinross Council to deliver a rapid rehousing model well before the target timescale of 2023/24.

Our Action Plan within our Rapid Rehousing Plan has been reviewed to provide a greater focus on a range of actions to minimise homelessness and increase tenancy Sustainment, where possible. It also includes actions to increase and maximise the availability of affordable housing, including housing in the private sector, to help meet housing need and support our Home First approach.

As outlined above, the current position with homelessness presentations is more positive than the figures in the Scottish Government's mid-year report suggest. However, homelessness will continue to be a significant issue for all local authorities, but we remain in a strong position with a relatively small number of people waiting for an offer of permanent housing, the shortest average length of stay in temporary accommodation and the shortest average total duration of homelessness in Scotland.

We are confident that our approach will enable us to continue deliver excellent homelessness services in Perth and Kinross for everyone who needs help and support in their time of need.

The statistics reflect our commitment to reduce homelessness in Perth and Kinross, and a determination that anyone facing homelessness will be provided with settled accommodation quickly to help them lead a quality life and reduce the stigma attached to homelessness.