Homelessness statistics user group minutes: June 2024
Minutes from the meeting on 5 June 2024.
Attendees and apologies
- Athelstan Croft, Aberdeen City Council
- David Bryce, Aberdeen City Council
- Gregg Aitchison, Aberdeenshire Council
- Alison Logan, Aberdeenshire Council
- Elaine Lothian, Aberdeenshire
- Maureen Stronach, Aberdeenshire Council
- Morven MacIntyre, Argyll & Bute Council
- Lisa Foley, Clackmannanshire Council
- Alex Gilbert, Clackmannanshire Council
- Caroline Muir, Clackmannanshire Council
- James Mullaney, Crisis
- Diane Gibson, Dumfries & Galloway Council
- Ross Lyons, Dundee City Council
- David Stewart, East Ayrshire Council
- Lynn Ross, East Dunbartonshire Council
- Katie Dalgleish, East Renfrewshire Council
- Emma Morgan, City of Edinburgh Council
- Helen Dryfe, Falkirk Council
- Joanna Stewart, Falkirk Council
- Christine Thomson, Falkirk Council
- Lesley Gill, Fife Council
- Lyndsey Halley, Fife Council
- Dianne McKendrick, Glasgow HSCP
- Sandra Paton, Glasgow City Council
- Carrie-Anne Alexander, Highland Council
- Michelle Gordon, Highland Council
- Heather McCluskey, Centre for Homelessness Impact
- Emily Lynch, Improvement Service
- Angela Harris, Midlothian Council
- Matthew McGlone, Midlothian Council
- Angela Fraser, Moray Council
- Martin Gray, Moray Council
- Apoorva Haston, Moray Council
- Sarah Petrie, Moray Council
- Donna McIlwraith, North Ayrshire Council
- Tracey Harper, North Lanarkshire Council
- Audrey Hayward, North Lanarkshire Council
- Claire Lloyd, North Lanarkshire Council
- Nicola Shawcross, North Lanarkshire Council
- Hazel McDonagh, Perth & Kinross Council
- Linda Montgomery, Perth & Kinross Council
- Andy Waring, Perth & Kinross Council
- Tim Pogson, Scotland’s Housing Network
- Marlene Paterson, Scottish Borders Council
- Monique Hunter, Shetland Council
- Tommy Walterson, Shetland Council
- Olivia Gibbons, Social Bite
- Anna McClelland, South Ayrshire Council
- Lynne Wilson, South Ayrshire Council
- Louise Harley, South Lanarkshire Council
- Gillian Findlay, Stirling Council
- Josh Tierney, Stirling Council
- Jennifer MacMahon, West Dunbartonshire Council
- Kathryn Smith, West Dunbartonshire Council
- Matt Howarth, Scottish Government
- Kerry Shaw, Scottish Government
- Louise Thompson, Scottish Government
- Derek Reid, West Lothian Council
Items and actions
A paper of the slides presented at the meeting can be found here: Homelessness Statistics User Group Slides: June 2024.
Sara welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Agenda item: policy update
Louise noted that, due to the pre-election period, the policy team were limited in what they were able to share. She confirmed that Mr McLennan’s role has expanded due to the departure of Mr Harvey.
The housing emergencies declared by seven local authorities and calls for new action plans are acknowledged. However, Cabinet Secretary is focussed on implementing current plans that are in place, which there are still support for. These actions may be re-prioritised and reviewed to better reflect the current situation.
Work is on-going with the Ministerial Oversight board which is looking at integration with other areas, including poverty, justice and health. The members of the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group have been surveyed to gain views on a refresh and reprioritisation of activity following completion of the four task & finish groups (supported accommodation, temporary accommodation, prevention and measuring outcomes).
Draft guidance and a FAQ document has been developed with the local connection solutions group. These have been shared with local authorities and feedback welcomed so this can be made as useful as possible.
Matt confirmed that the Housing Bill was introduced to Parliament on 26 March.
They are now in the stakeholder engagement phase and are considering potential events. This engagement will help the policy team in identifying what will be needed in the drafting of guidance and consideration of training implications, which will need to be developed with stakeholders.
He answered that it takes – on average – around a year for a Bill to be passed. The timings and approach for implementation also need to be discussed with stakeholders; these are not set out in the Bill.
It was noted that the financial memorandum is a best estimate of costs at this stage rather than a budget setting exercise.
Matt also noted the influence of people with lived experience of homelessness, which has informed the Ask & Act duties.
Agenda item: publications update
Sara presented an overview of developments to the homelessness statistics publications over the last year. These were outlined in the slides.
Comments received related more to quality assurance and will be picked up under this data item.
Sara reminded the group that it is possible to request additional content for output, either as part of the suite of publication outputs, or as ad hoc analysis.
Sara confirmed that the plan is definitely still to remove HL2, but there are on-going difficulties getting these to align with HL3. This was further discussed as part of the subsequent data quality agenda item.
Tim Pogson noted that there is a Power BI tool available on the Scotland’s Housing Network website that may be of interest to the group. This can be found at:
https://app.powerbi.com/links/RvFUPzfrYY?ctid=a4e38a5b-f9aa-47dd-9d03-755a501def14&pbi_source=linkShare
Louise thanked the group for providing the monthly management information and quarterly data, as it provides helpful evidence for policy.
Agenda item: quality assurance
The homelessness statistics and analysis team presented an overview of enhanced quality assurance activity. This was detailed in the slides.
When asked, Sara confirmed that work is ongoing to try to align HL2 and HL3. The data review work is picking up the more in-depth understanding as to why differences exists so this can be factored in to new content going forward.
A point was raised that the breaches information gathered via HL2 is difficult to complete under the new definition.
- action: Scottish Government to consider and issue further guidance to data providers.
Feedback was provided as to why the number of children in reported HL1 and HL3 might differ. Examples included:
- access arrangements being factored in to HL3 and not HL1.
- differences in systems and housing officers completing the returns.
- if a household splits and the HL1 is subsequently updated to remove children, but the HL3 placement still reflects there were children in there at that time.
- lag in updating HL1 where children follow after the parent, which can particularly be the case for refugee families.
- HL1 reflecting data at time of application, and not being subsequently updated.
- if, with the passage of time, a child in a household becomes an adult.
The potential to double count children in temporary accommodation, if they are recorded across multiple households in the data collection. Sara noted this is something that is being considered as part of the data review work.
Discussion was held as to how those with refugee status was being recorded for i) where homeless from and ii) reason for homelessness. This issue seems to be particularly affecting Edinburgh and Glasgow, but there are some other local authorities grappling with this also.
Most are recording “leaving supported accommodation” and “other reason for leaving”. This will be the explanation for increases in these figures.
It was noted that some local authorities have a high volume that come from outwith Scotland. Glasgow have started gathering information on what city they have come from.
Sara explained that the data review work has already identified response options to add under the necessary variables.
- action: Scottish Government to consider if any changes can be implemented shorter-term.
Agenda item: data review update
Anna provided an overview (as detailed in slides) of the data review work to date, and next steps.
Discussion around reasons for homelessness included:
- noting that, in some stock transfer authorities, RSLs are directing households to homelessness services due to the housing crisis. Does this need to be included as a reason for homelessness?
- Asked to leave could have lots of sub-categories to get underneath this a bit more
- There is a need for LAs to understand the underlying reason for homelessness and how this then presented
- action: Scottish Government to consider.
There are different practices in how those going in to prison are recorded. One local authority noted that they use a sentence of 1 year as 2 years would not makes sense given their wating list is less than 2 years. Another noted it was difficult to due those on remand.
- action: Scottish Government to consider if guidance can be given so all local authorities are using the same recording practice.
Changing circumstances that were raised for consideration were pregnancy and children becoming adults. Households with mixed eligibility were also raised as requiring further thought on how to handle.
Agenda items: other updates, any other business and future meetings
Sara ran through other updates. There were no comments received on these, or any other business raised.
There was appetite for two meetings a year, both likely to continue as virtual. Scottish Government to take in to consideration when arranging future meetings.
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