Homelessness prevention duties: equality impact assessment results

Key Findings

A summary of the available evidence and data collected to help inform this EQIA for each of the protected characteristics covered by legislation is provided below.

Age

Young people under age 25 are over-represented in homelessness applications and assessment (22% of applications were from main applicants aged 16-24 in 2022/23^[3], although this age group only comprised 12% of Scotland's total population) and these percentages are themselves likely to be an under-representation as statistics do not include hidden homelessness^[4].

Intersectionality of young age and other factors

Care experienced children and young people and those leaving care are more likely to face particular challenges, including mental health issues, poor education outcomes and lower educational attainment, and a lower likelihood of achieving a positive destination when they leave care. They are at much higher risk of homelessness or experiencing housing instability than their non-care experienced peers^[5]. Follow The Money^[6], one of the final reports published by the Independent Care Review in February 2020, highlights that care experienced people are likely to have more than double the chance of experiencing homelessness compared to their non care-experienced peers, mainly before the age of 30.

Other risk factors which intersect with young age and increase the likelihood of homelessness are experiences of adverse childhood experiences, running away, truanting or being excluded from school, or identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender^[7].

Sex

In 2022/23, 67% of homelessness applications were from single person households, 46% of which were single male and 21% female. Single parent households accounted for 20% of applications, and 15% of these were single parent female households^[8].

Women earn less on average than men^[9], are less likely to be paid the Living Wage^[10] and more likely to be not working due to looking after children or home^[11]. This may lead to women having a lower independent income. Whilst there may be income pooling within a couple with a high-income and low-income earner, there will be an unequal reliance on the sharing of income to maintain their standard of living^[12]. The Wealth in Scotland^[13] report also shows that women are less likely to own property than men^[14], and lone parents (of whom 92% in Scotland are women) and working aged women with no children are the least likely groups to own any property.

Whilst a precise gender breakdown isn't available for other household types on Housing Benefit or for households receiving the housing element of Universal Credit, the available data suggests that it is likely that women in Scotland are overall more likely to be in receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit than men.^[15]

Over recent years, evidence shows that households with children under 1 are at a heightened risk of poverty, and that families with a new child are more likely to enter poverty, even when controlling for other factors^[16] . Evidence from a recent focus report on poverty and households with babies^[17] suggests that new mothers found Universal Credit payments helped to relieve housing costs by covering their rent, however most of the interviewees were in social housing and it was suggested that private rented accommodation is unaffordable. Many within the study mentioned that having a baby prompted a change in housing; often moving out of pre-pregnancy housing to avoid overcrowding.

Some evidence suggests women may be at risk of experiencing hidden homelessness and of being missed in official statistics^[18]. Research by Engender suggests that the nature of their homelessness does not always conform with traditionally male images of rough sleeping in the streets; indeed, they often turn to less visible solutions such as staying with family and friends on an informal and temporary basis, sofa surfing, sleeping on floors or in overcrowded spaces, sleeping in bed and breakfast hostels, and (re)entering into relationships with potentially abusive partners^[19].

Women are more likely to experience housing affordability problems; housing insecurity and precarity of income. According to the 2022 Scottish Surveys Core Questions^[20], an estimated 50.2% of respondents living in the PRS and 56% of respondents living in the SRS were women. SSCQ data also shows that single parent households, of which the majority are women, were the most likely of all household types to live in the social rented sector: 51% of single parent households live in the social rented sector compared to 22.1% of all households).

There are gendered differences in the reasons for homelessness, with men most likely to become homeless as a result of being asked to leave or a non-violent household dispute, and women most likely to be homeless due to a violent or abusive household dispute or being asked to leave^[21].

In 2022/23, nearly a quarter of women making a homelessness application cited the reason as abuse or violent dispute within the household^[22]. Again, it is probable that the scale of the domestic abuse problem is under-represented in homelessness applications, as many women will not disclose domestic abuse when applying^[23].

Intersectionality of sex and other protected characteristics

Although Scottish Government homelessness data does not show intersectionalities^[24], it is believed that intersections of sex and race, as well as single parent status, transgender status, disability, and past experience of the criminal justice system, may increase the likelihood that a woman will live in poverty, and may be at added risk of homelessness. There is some evidence from a 2020 Scottish Government evidence review looking at the housing needs of minority ethnic households^[25] that for minority ethnic women, isolation, language difficulties and experiences of racism, may increase their risk of experiencing homelessness or prevent them from escaping domestic abuse.

The consultation responses highlighted that the new duties do not give consideration as to how the duties will apply across intersectionalities – disabled women, BME women, LGBT women, refugee women etc^[26].

Pregnancy and maternity

While there is no specific data on homelessness, pregnancy and domestic abuse, 51% of all single adult female households where the main reason for homelessness was a violent or abusive dispute were single parent households in 2022/23. This compares to 42% overall^[27].

Over recent years, evidence shows that households with children under 1 are at heightened risk of poverty, and that families with a new child are more likely to enter poverty, even when controlling for other factors^[28]. This suggests such households may be at increased risk of experiencing homelessness^[29].

Sexual orientation

LGBT people are vulnerable to homelessness^[30], and 2018 research from Stonewall and YouGov^[31] highlighted that almost one in five LGBT people (18%) surveyed reported experiencing homelessness at some point in their lives. This figure further rises for more marginalised LGBT people – for example, disabled LGBT people (28%), trans people (25%), and LGBT people from lower income households (25%).

LGBT Youth Scotland's research (2022) found that LGBT young people account for 24% of the young homeless population^[32]. Similarly, Albert Kennedy Trust's 2014 study^[33] found that 30% of LGBT young people surveyed had some experience of homelessness including; sofa-surfing, rough sleeping, temporary and supported accommodation. It also found that 69% reported having experienced abuse (physical, emotional, sexual) within the family, and 69% cited parental rejection as a causal factor in their homelessness.

Albert Kennedy Trust's (2021) research^[34] highlights that the number of LGBTQ+ homeless young people is likely to be an under-representation, with only 1/3 of LGBTQ+ young people seeking support from their local authority, and only 45% seeking support from community organisations, when they were homeless, choosing instead of seek support from friends. This finding is more stark when the LGBTQ+ youth also belongs to an ethnic minority group – only 17% sought support from community organisations.

Although the intersection of sexual orientation and homelessness is not captured in Scottish Government data, most UK data^[35] shows that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience homelessness, including rough sleeping, than heterosexual people.

Gender reassignment

Although the Scottish Government does not as yet capture data on gender reassignment and homelessness, Stonewall has reported^[36] that one in four trans people in the UK have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, and the Scottish Transgender Alliance Survey (2012)^[37] found that 19% of respondents had been homeless at some point in their lives, with 11% having been homeless more than once. These statistics evidence that trans status may have a disproportionate effect on likelihood of being homeless.

Race

Recent data from the 2022 Scottish Surveys Core Questions^[38] indicate that 73.1% of adult respondents in Scotland recorded their ethnicity as 'White: Scottish', 13.7% recorded their ethnicity as 'White: British', and 1.2% as 'White: Polish'. 3% recorded their ethnicity as 'White: Other'^[39] and 5.6% recorded their ethnicity as Asian^[40]. All other ethnic groups^[41] make up 3.1% of the respondent population.

In 2015-20^[42], people from non-white minority ethnic groups were more likely to be in relative poverty after housing costs compared to those from the 'White - British' and 'White - Other' groups (41% for non-white minority ethnic groups compared with 24% of White-Other groups).

In 2022/23^[43], 11% of homelessness applications were made by minority ethnic main applicants, which may signal an over-representation of minority ethnic people among those experiencing homelessness.

Furthermore, evidence shows that ethnic minority individuals may potentially be at risk of experiencing hidden homelessness^[44]; are more likely to deal with housing difficulties informally, such as by staying with friends or family on a temporary or unstable basis; and less likely to recognise themselves as being homeless, meaning that homelessness in these communities is less visible.

Groups that may be particularly vulnerable to hidden homelessness and homelessness include refugees, Gypsy/Travellers and minority ethnic women escaping violence within the home. Evidence^[45] has shown that refugees experience difficulties with official asylum seeking procedures and lack of appropriate temporary accommodation, apart from hostels.

Gypsy travellers are twice as likely to live in overcrowded accommodation (24% of Gypsy/Traveller households were overcrowded compared to 9% of all households)^[46].

Religion or belief

We are not aware of any evidence to show that religion or belief impacts on homelessness.

According to the 2022 Scottish Surveys Core Questions, the most common religious designation across all housing tenures is 'no religion'. People who live in the private rented sector and social rented sector are more likely to identify as being 'Muslim' or 'other religion'^[47] compared to those who own their homes outright and those who own their homes with a mortgage. In 2018-2023, Muslim adults and adults identifying as 'other religion' were more likely to be in relative poverty (61% and 31% respectively) than adults overall (19%) and adults belonging to the Church of Scotland (16%), after housing costs were taken into account.^[48]

It is acknowledged that this is an evidence gap - existing Scottish Government homelessness data collection does not sufficiently include equalities data on religion or belief. The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a review of our homelessness data collection so as to improve the data collection process conducted by local authorities as part of their statutory duties around homelessness and homelessness prevention.

Marriage and civil partnership

Adults who are single (never married) or divorced/separated are more likely to be in poverty than married adults, and relationship breakdown is one of the main reasons for making a homelessness application^[49]. We do not know how many couples making a homelessness application were married or in a civil partnership.