Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans Annual Report: 2020-21

In spite of the clear challenges which the year 2020/21 posed for all local authorities across Scotland, there is evidence of progress being made as we moved into 2021/22. This report has identified planned activity for the year 2021/22, in recognition of the progression of RRTPs across local authorities.

Housing First has proceeded apace in the current year (2021/22). At 31 December 2021 a total of 1031 tenancies had begun across 24 local authorities. A further three local authorities have reported that they will begin their Housing First programme before 31 March 2022. The remaining five local authorities are not currently planning on delivering a Housing First programme due to scale or an existing support programme is in place.

The Scottish Government homelessness statistical publication for the six month period from 1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021 shows that there has been an increase in the proportion of people securing settled accommodation in 2021 (82%) compared to 2020 (78%), particularly for Housing Association accommodation. This is testament to the success of the rapid rehousing approach in Scotland despite the unprecedented challenges of the previous year.

The statistics show that the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation continues to be higher than pre-pandemic levels. [1]  Through Scottish Government engagement at Housing Options Hubs and RRTP Sub-Group meetings, it is clear that local authorities are working to reduce the use of temporary accommodation through RRTP activities.

Following considerable work across local authorities and partners, the first three modules of the Training Toolkit were soft launched on 31 January 2022 which included: introduction to housing options; accessing accommodation; and maintaining existing accommodation. A full launch of the remaining three modules will take place in April, which will cover: health and wellbeing; income and affordability; and employment and training. Local authorities have attested to the quality of learning materials provided within the Toolkit, which will serve to further develop and improve the service which people experience when interacting with housing and homelessness services across Scotland.

Whilst the RRTP Activity and Spend templates completed by each local authority provides detail of RRTP policy and practice across Scotland, as outlined within this report, evidence of the impact which this has had on outcomes for the people the plans are designed to support is limited. In recognition of this gap in reporting, the Scottish Government has developed the Activity and Spend templates for 2021/22 to capture the overall impact of RRTPs across Scotland.