Housing Homeless People: Making best use of the housing stock

Isobel Anderson

Research questions

How is allocation practice changing in response to abolition of the priority need test in the homelessness legislation?

How do social landlords make most effective use of available stock?

To what extent are other options for settled accommodation being developed?

Methods

Review of legal requirements, guidance for practice and research literature

Overview of homelessness and housing statistics (2000/1 -2010/11)

Qualitative group discussions with local practitioners

Law and discretion

Year Law/Guidance on Allocations

19661977198720012002200320052009

201020112012

Housing Scotland Act – Reasonable Preference CategoriesHomeless Persons Act – local authority dutiesConsolidating Housing Act – homelessness a ‘RPC’Housing Act – Scottish Secure Tenancies, Expanded TA dutyHousing Allocations Guidance (Scottish Exec)Homelessness Act; phase out ‘priority need distinction’ Revised Homelessness Code of GuidanceGuidance on common housing registers; Homelessness PreventionHousing Act (duty to assess support); S32 amendments (PRS)Guidance on social housing allocationsWelfare Reform Act; Consultation on allocations ‘flexibility for landlords’; Consultation on private rented sector strategy

Issues from the review

Tensions between housing those most in need and managing sustainable communities (‘normal’?)

Encouraged to operate flexibly to prioritise homeless households alongside other needs.

Less guidance on matching people to properties. Required to monitor the effectiveness, but limited

evidence Scope to improve coordination and collaboration

Percentage of homeless applicants who had any member of the household on a waiting list for social housing at the time of applying in 2010/11

Number of homeless households in temporary accommodation by accommodation type (2001 to 2012)

Local authority permanent lettings during 2001/2 to 2010/11 and lets to homeless households

Source of lets for all RSLs 2011-12

Total lettings as a result of local authority nominations to RSLs (2001-02 to 2010-11)

Scottish housing stock (000s) by tenure, 2001 to 2010

Making better use of the stock?

Shift to homelessness prevention (Housing Options)

Value of reasonable preference categories? Matching single people to vacancies

– Quotas; choice based systems Transfers and mutual exchanges LA referrals to RSLs Use of private rented sector Co-ordinated lettings plans

Conclusions and issues emerging

Effectiveness = ‘good housing management’ Sustainability of 2012 commitment Balance of LA/RSL contribution to housing

homeless households ‘Tensions’ reflect scarcity Achieving fairness and effectiveness in

allocations? Co-ordination and quotas

Recommendations

1. Retain a clear responsibility for the rehousing of statutorily homeless households in both the local authority and RSL sectors, in new legislation.

2. Explore enhanced strategic co-ordination of lettings through joint plans and procedures to optimise effective use of sock, and balance meeting different needs.

3. Review the Short Assured Tenancy with a view to providing more security for statutorily homeless households being housed in the private rented sector.

4. Differential implementation of housing benefit and welfare reform

5. Increase the supply of one bedroom properties available for single homeless people (?)

6. Explore the potential benefits of proactively encouraging mutual exchanges