Transcript No Slide Title

Post-Devolution Homelessness
Policy Reform in Scotland
Hal Pawson, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
Homelessness reform under devolution: the
story so far…
• Scottish Parliament established 1999
• Rough Sleepers Initiative already under way
• New administration established ministerial Homelessness
Task Force (HTF) 1999 – reported 2002
• Acts of Parliament 2001 and 2003 implemented most HTF
recommendations
• First wave of reforms (2002-03)
– ‘Threatened with homelessness’ time frame extended from 28
days to 2 months
– Prohibition of B&B placements for families
– LA obligation to draw up homelessness strategies from 2003
– Right to temp accommodation for non-priority homeless whilst
case assessed
School of the Built Environment
Second wave of reforms (from 2003)
• Requirement to provide (insecure tenancy)
accommodation and support for intentionally
homeless households
• Ministerial power to suspend local connection
provisions
• Abolition of priority/non-priority need distinction
by 2012
– Seen as devolved Scotland ‘flagship policy’ (along with
free care for the elderly, student financing)
– Presented as exemplifying Scottish ‘social justice’ ethos
School of the Built Environment
Practical impacts so far
– All LAs subject to Communities
Scotland rolling inspection
programme and
– CS criteria on ‘good quality
homelessness services’ highly
tuned to identify ‘gatekeeping’
Trend in homelessness acceptances, 19972007
Strategies introduced
35,000
160,000
30,000
140,000
120,000
25,000
100,000
20,000
80,000
15,000
60,000
10,000
5,000
Scotland (left
hand axis)
40,000
England (right
hand axis)
20,000
0
19
97
19 9 8
98
19 9 9
99
20 0 0
00
20 0 1
01
20 0 2
02
20 0 3
03
20 0 4
04
20 0 5
20
0
06 5-0
/0
7 6
(e
st
)
• Signs that ‘prevention’
approach has impacted on
priority acceptances
• But effect far less marked than
in England
• Prevention officially promoted –
and funded – as in England
• But…
School of the Built Environment
0
Implications of abolishing priority need test
• Approx 10,000 more
households with right to
permanent rehousing
• 33% expansion in LA
obligations
• Executive view: replacing
Households assessed as homeless
in Scotland: Priority/non-priority
split
45,000
40,000
35,000
• But necessity for rationing
remains – likely to mean more
investigative focus on
‘homelessness test’
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
Non-priority (or intentionally) homeless
Homeless & in priority need
0
19
97
-9
8
19
98
-9
9
19
99
-0
0
20
00
-0
1
20
01
-0
2
20
02
-0
3
20
03
-0
4
20
04
-0
5
20
05
-0
6
‘bureaucratic categorisation and
labelling of applicants’ with
‘outcomes firmly focused on
applicants’ needs’
School of the Built Environment
Abolition of priority need test – capacity
issues
Trend in LA lets to new tenants
30,000
25,000
20,000
Other new lets
15,000
Homeless lets
10,000
5,000
0
4
/0
03
5
/0
04
6
/0
05
7
/0
6
0
t
es
Homeless lets as % of total new lets
40
35
30
Scotland
25
England
20
15
05
/0
6
04
/0
5
03
/0
4
02
/0
3
01
/0
2
10
00
/0
1
% of new lets to homeless
hhlds
• Falling supply of LA/HA relets
already pushing up homeless
share of lets
• % of new lets to homeless up
from 31% to 42% in three
years to 2005/06
• Comparable 2005/06 figure for
England – 33%
• 2005/06 Scotland figure higher
than any English region outside
London
• Substantial regional variations
means some councils already
severely stressed: in quarter of
LAs homeless lets already
>50% in 2005/06
School of the Built Environment
Abolition of priority need test:
accommodating the impact
• Exec recognition of capacity issues:
‘We will only implement changes at a pace sustainable
and manageable for local authorities’
• 2004/05 exercise to estimate impact of 2012 wider
rehousing duty combined with falling relet supply
• 7 (of 32) LAs predicted 2012 statutory homeless would
exceed 100% of total social housing supply
• Two thirds of LAs anticipate the majority of all new social
lets needed to accommodate homeless households in
2012
• Prospect of social housing sector accessed largely through
homelessness channel
School of the Built Environment
Scottish Exec action to address capacity
issues
Communities Scotland affordale
housing investment programme
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
20
07
/0
8
20
06
/0
7
0
20
05
/0
6
projected dwelling starts
• Strengthened powers of LAs to
require HA rehousing of
homeless households
• Statutory duty on private
landlords & mortgage providers
to notify LAs of possession
actions
• National grant funding regime
for LA prevention activities
(total 2005/06 homelessness
funding: £57M)
• Stepped up affordable housing
construction – see graphic
School of the Built Environment
Future prospects
• 2007 change of government unlikely to result in policy
reversal
• But concern at no SNP commitment to further expanding
affordable housing supply (unlike Lib Dems and Greens)
• Homelessness prevention good practice guidance
expected later in 2007
• 2009 ‘interim target’ for LAs to ‘reduce by 50% the
proportion of homeless households they assess as nonpriority’ – base year 2005/06
• Executive committed to looking for ways to make greater
use of private sector through ‘review of Assured Tenancy
regime’
School of the Built Environment