Homelessness in Scotland: update to 30 September 2019

Assessments

(Table 4 to Table 6)

Overall assessments

There were 18,725 assessments made between April to September 2019, compared to 19,052 for the same period in 2018, a decrease of 327 assessments (-2%). Over the full 12 month period, the number of assessments was similar to the same period the previous year with only 93 less to the end of September 2019 compared with end of September 2018.

Of the 18,725 homelessness assessments made between 1 April and 30 September 2019, 15,542 (83%) were assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness, 694 (4%) were assessed as not homeless and 814 (4%) had their homelessness resolved before the assessment was made. There were 1,675 (9%) applications where contact was lost before assessment, the application was withdrawn or the applicant was ineligible for assistance. These findings are similar to the same period one year ago.

Note that the number of assessments made during April to September (18,725) is higher than the number of applications for homelessness assistance (18,645). These numbers do not match because some applications made during the period are yet to reach assessment stage; and some assessments during this period are completed for applications that were made in previous periods.

Chart 5: Applications assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness since 2002

Intentionality

Cases assessed as homeless (or threatened with homelessness) are also tested as to whether the applicant made themselves homeless intentionally. If an applicant has made themselves intentionally homeless, they are not entitled to settled accommodation. However, they are entitled to be housed in temporary accommodation for a reasonable period of time, and be given advice and assistance. 

The proportion of cases assessed as intentionally homeless increased at a national level from around 3.5% in 2009 to around 6.0% in 2014. Since 2014 this proportion has reduced to a quarterly average of around 5% (Table 4). Of the 18,725 homelessness assessments made between 1 April and 30 September 2019, there were 676 intentionality decisions, a decrease of 111 (14%) in the number of such decisions compared with the same period one year earlier.

Chart 6: Applications assessed as intentionally homeless since 2002

Table 6 shows that, between 1 April and 30 September 2019, there is a high proportion of intentionally homeless assessments in a number of Local Authorities - the highest proportions were in Moray (14.6%), Clackmannanshire (11.9%) and Argyll & Bute (11.1%). Conversely, there were no intentionally homeless assessments in any of the island local authorities and the mainland local authority with the lowest proportion was South Lanarkshire (1.1%).