Housing Homeless People: Making best use of the housing stock

Isobel Anderson

Research questions

   How is allocation practice changing in response to abolition of the priority need test in the homelessness legislation?

How do social landlords make most effective use of available stock?

To what extent are other options for settled accommodation being developed?

Methods

   Review of legal requirements, guidance for practice and research literature Overview of homelessness and housing statistics (2000/1 -2010/11) Qualitative group discussions with local practitioners

Law and discretion

Year

1966 1977 1987 2001 2002 2003 2005 2009 2010 2011 2012

Law/Guidance on Allocations

Housing Scotland Act – Reasonable Preference Categories Homeless Persons Act – local authority duties Consolidating Housing Act – homelessness a ‘RPC’ Housing Act – Scottish Secure Tenancies, Expanded TA duty Housing Allocations Guidance (Scottish Exec) Homelessness Act; phase out ‘priority need distinction’ Revised Homelessness Code of Guidance Guidance on common housing registers; Homelessness Prevention Housing Act (duty to assess support); S32 amendments (PRS) Guidance on social housing allocations Welfare Reform Act; Consultation on allocations ‘flexibility for landlords’; Consultation on private rented sector strategy

Issues from the review

     Tensions between housing those most in need and managing sustainable communities (‘normal’?) Encouraged to operate flexibly to prioritise homeless households alongside other needs.

Less guidance on matching people to properties.

Required to monitor the effectiveness, but limited evidence Scope to improve coordination and collaboration

Percentage of homeless applicants who had any member of the household on a waiting list for social housing at the time of applying in 2010/11

Number of homeless households in temporary accommodation by accommodation type (2001 to 2012)

8 000 7 000 70% 60% 6 000 5 000 50% 40% 4 000 3 000 30% 2 000 1 000 20% 10% 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 0% Social sector Hostel Bed & Breakfast Private sector

Local authority permanent lettings during 2001/2 to 2010/11 and lets to homeless households

Source of lets for all RSLs 2011-12

Total lettings as a result of local authority nominations to RSLs (2001-02 to 2010-11)

Scottish housing stock (000s) by tenure, 2001 to 2010

Making better use of the stock?

       Shift to homelessness prevention (Housing Options) Value of reasonable preference categories?

Matching single people to vacancies – Quotas; choice based systems Transfers and mutual exchanges LA referrals to RSLs Use of private rented sector Co-ordinated lettings plans

Conclusions and issues emerging

      Effectiveness = ‘good housing management’ Sustainability of 2012 commitment Balance of LA/RSL contribution to housing homeless households ‘Tensions’ reflect scarcity Achieving fairness and effectiveness in allocations?

Co-ordination and quotas

Recommendations

1.

Retain a clear responsibility for the rehousing of statutorily homeless households in both the local authority and RSL sectors, in new legislation. 2.

Explore enhanced strategic co-ordination of lettings through joint plans and procedures to optimise effective use of sock, and balance meeting different needs.

3.

Review the Short Assured Tenancy with a view to providing more security for statutorily homeless households being housed in the private rented sector. 4.

Differential implementation of housing benefit and welfare reform 5.

Increase the supply of one bedroom properties available for single homeless people (?) 6.

Explore the potential benefits of proactively encouraging mutual exchanges