Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2020 amendment: EQIA

Screening

Policy Aim

The aim of the policy is to extend the seven day restriction on time spent in unsuitable accommodation to all people experiencing homelessness.

The Programme for Government announced by the First Minister on 5 September 2017 set out a new commitment to eradicate rough sleeping, transform the use of temporary accommodation in Scotland and end homelessness. Ministers subsequently established the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group (HARSAG) to make recommendations on how these transformational changes could be achieved.

In June 2018, HARSAG completed their work, producing a comprehensive set of recommendations aiming to secure strategic changes at both national and local level which would help support delivery on the front-line. In November 2018, the Scottish Government and COSLA published the Ending Homelessness Together High Level Action Plan which sets out the actions we will take in partnership with others to act on the HARSAG recommendations and realise our shared ambitions to end rough sleeping and homelessness.

On 3 September 2019, the Scottish Government announced that it would legislate to extend the Unsuitable Accommodation Order to all homeless household this parliamentary year and that it will come into force in this parliamentary term. The extension means that the maximum number of days that local authorities can use unsuitable accommodation for any homeless person is 7 days.