Andy Oliver, from the Stonehaven and Mearns SNP branch and Councillor for North Kincardine Catherine Victor share why Scotland must look at the single-household homelessness statistics and how to take action to reduce the numbers.
Homelessness in Scotland is an issue that is perennial.
People become homeless for multiple reasons, due to breakdown in relationships, being asked to leave previous accommodation, unable to pay rent, having nowhere to go. It is a desperate state for anyone to be in, with a catastrophic effect on physical and mental well-being and life chances.
Government Statistics for 2021-22 tell us that there were 35,230 homeless applications made, with some 28,882 households accepted as homeless. That number includes 32,592 adults and 14,372 children. There were also 26,166 open applications still being processed.
The true figure will of course be greater as these statistics only include those “in the system” who have made an application and subsequently been accepted as homeless.
The Homeless Application process is managed by Local Authorities and has 3 stages; Application, Assessment and Outcome.
The Local Authority has a statutory duty to offer settled accommodation to anyone assessed as unintentionally homeless, or temporary accommodation until that becomes available. There is less protection for those who are deemed to be intentionally homeless.
Applicants are also required to demonstrate a connection to the area. There are third sector organisations working with Councils and other providers to provide accommodation and support to people who find themselves in this desperate situation.
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Councils maintain lists of applicants for housing tenancies in their areas and their ability to manage their housing stock is constrained by income from rents plus other assistance from government.
Scotland has taken significant steps to make up for the loss of public housing stock through the Right to Buy legislation by ending that drain on public housing, and has been building significantly more houses for rent, but there are around 43,000 long-term empty properties in Council tenure and in private tenure that could be refurbished and made available for occupancy.
Councils and The Empty Homes Partnership are working to bring these back into occupation, for good reasons. Empty houses are a target of vandalism and attract anti-social behaviour, but they are in in established communities so it’s easier for new tenants to integrate, it’s cheaper to refurbish an existing property and bring it up to modern standards of insulation and energy use, and it doesn’t take out green fields from food production.
A feature of Homeless households that differs from the housing stock nationally is that single person households make up 67% of homeless households, but 55% of households in the overall population, while single parent households make up 22% of homeless households but only 4% of the general population.
Council housing stock lends itself more naturally to households with children, and there are comparatively few houses or other accommodation that is designed for single person households.
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Government Homelessness statistics show that there are more than enough empty properties to accommodate all homeless people in Scotland, though the properties may not be where the homeless people are or wish to be.
However, given that most of the households involved are single person households, it should be possible to match homeless families with empty accommodation if they are brought up to a good standard of insulation and energy efficiency. Single person households will have a range of needs, and houses designed for a family may suit some, while others may prefer to have their own secure space in a shared property or in self-contained accommodation.
We would encourage government and councils to explore options such as the acquisition and conversion of town centre properties to provide secure, supported accommodation for single people, and commend other examples such as the eco village created by Social Bite in Edinburgh.
As well as making a huge difference to many people’s lives, this may help to reduce the numbers of single person households in the homeless statistics.
The Homes for the Homeless resolution at SNP Conference will be heard on Sunday 9 October.
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