Homelessness
- Total number of homelessness applications, 2002-2009
- Homelessness decisions in England, 2003–2009
- Homelessness decisions in Wales, 2002/03–2007/08
- Homelessness decisions in Scotland, 2002/03–2008/09
- Homelessness assessment applications deemed to be owed a permanent housing duty by a local authority, Great Britain
- Households accepted as unintentionally homeless, 1980-2008
- Households in temporary accommodation, 1991-2008
- Homeless households in different types of temporary accommodation in England, 1991-2008
- Homeless households in different types of temporary accommodation in Wales, 1997-2008
- Homeless households in different types of temporary accommodation in Scotland, 1991-2008
- Homeless households in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation in Great Britain, 1991-2008
- Homeless households in temporary hostels and women's refuges in Great Britain, 1991-2008
- Number of rough sleepers in Great Britain, 2001-2008
Total number of homelessness applications, 2002-2009
This graph shows the total number of homelessness applications made to local authorities in Great Britian. The number of homelessness applications demonstrates the level of demand for emergency housing. Data for the 2008/09 period is unavailable for Wales.
England has seen a dramatic decrease in the number of homelessness applications made to local councils, dropping from 279,130 to 112,900 between 2002/03 and 2008/09. This represents a percentage decrease of 59.5%, since the introduction of the 2002 Homelessness Act in England.
Wales has seen a less dramatic decrease of 24% in the number of applications, falling from 17,055 in 2002/03 to 12,937 in 2007/08. The largest number of applications in Wales over the period was 22,580 in 2004/05. This was followed by a steady decrease in applications, which corresponds with the introduction of the Welsh Assembly Government’s revised National Homelessness Strategy for Wales in 2005.
By contrast, Scotland has seen a rise in the number of homelessness applications between 2002/03 and 2008/09, increasing by 9.9% from 52,120 to 57,304. This increase follows the introduction of the 2001 Housing (Scotland) Act that entitled all homeless households, regardless of whether they are in priority need, to at least temporary accommodation. The introduction of the 2003 Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act further removed the local connection clause. Despite this slight overall increase across the period, the number of applications has slowly decreased following its peak at 60,749 in 2005/06.
Source: CLG, 2010; Welsh Assembly Government, 2008; Scottish Government, 2009
Homelessness decisions in England, 2003–2009
This graph shows the classification of homelessness decisions between 2003 and 2009 in England.
It illustrates the changing patterns of acceptances of applications. In England, local councils are required to provide permanent accommodation if the applicant is deemed to be homeless or threatened with homelessness within 28 days, in priority need, and not intentionally homeless. There is no obligation of a permanent housing duty for those categorised as ‘not homeless’, ‘homeless but not in priority need’ or ‘intentionally homeless and in priority need’, but temporary housing assistance and advice may still be provided. The local council may still provide permanent housing dependent on circumstances but is not legally required to do so.
The patterns of England’s assessment decisions were quite stable between 2003 and 2009. During this period approximately 45% of all assessment decisions were ‘unintentionally homeless and in priority need’ and as such required the local council to provide permanent accommodation. The number of people deemed to be ‘unintentionally homeless and in priority need’ dropped slightly from 46% in 2003 to 44% in 2009.
The overall percentage of non-priority-need homeless cases has dropped slightly over the study period from 23% to 17%.
The number of people assessed as ‘intentionally homeless and in priority need’ has nearly doubled, from 4% of all decisions made in 2003 to 7.4% in 2009. Those deemed as ‘not homeless’ saw a slight increase in the overall percentage of homelessness assessments, rising from 28% in 2003 to 31% in 2009.
Source: CLG, 2010
Homelessness decisions in Wales, 2002/03–2007/08
This graph shows the classification of homelessness decisions between 2002/03 and 2007/08 in Wales.
It shows the changing patterns of homelessness causes and, in particular, the extent of homelessness cases in priority need. In Wales, a local council is required to provide permanent accommodation if the applicant is deemed to be homeless or threatened with homelessness within 28 days, in priority need, and not intentionally homeless. There is no permanent housing duty for those categorised as ‘eligible, but not homeless’, ‘eligible, homeless but not in priority need’ or ‘eligible, homeless and in priority need, but intentionally so’, but temporary housing assistance and advice may still be provided. The local council may still provide permanent housing dependent on circumstances but it is not legally required to do so.
Wales has seen a slight shift in its overall assessment patterns between the 2002/03 and 2007/08 periods. Those deemed to be ‘eligible, unintentionally homeless, and in priority need’, for which the local council has a permanent housing obligation, has risen from an overall percentage of 40.9% in 2002/03 to 49.2% in 2007/08. Conversely, there has been a shift in those deemed to be ‘eligible, homeless but not in priority need’, resulting in an overall percentage decrease of 27% in 2002/03 to 16.4% in 2007/08.
The number of those assessed as ‘eligible, homeless and in priority need, but intentionally so’ has increased overall from 3.8% in 2002/03 to 5.7% in 2007/08. While the number of those deemed to be ‘eligible, but not homeless’ has remained relatively stable at around 29%, along with ‘ineligible households’ at around 0.4%, the other three assessment categories have seen a shift.
Source: Welsh Assembly Government, 2008
Homelessness decisions in Scotland, 2002/03–2008/09
This graph shows the classification of homelessness decisions from 2002/03- 2008/09 in Scotland.
It shows the changing patterns of homelessness causes and, in particular, the extent of homelessness cases in priority need. In Scotland, a local council is required to provide permanent accommodation if the applicant is deemed to be potentially homeless or threatened with homelessness within 28 days, in priority need, and not intentionally homeless. There is currently no permanent housing duty for those categorised as ‘neither homeless nor potentially homeless’, ‘potentially homeless non-priority’ ‘potentially homeless non-priority’, ‘potentially homeless priority unintentional’ or ‘homeless non-priority’, but temporary housing assistance and advice must still be provided. The local council may still provide permanent housing dependent on circumstances but it is not legally required to do so. The 2003 Homelessness Act has set a 2012 date for the abolition of the priority need test.
The proportion of priority need homeless households has remained relatively stable in Scotland between 2002/03 and 2008/09. The proportion of decisions assessed as ‘homeless priority unintentional’, and for which the local council has an obligation to provide permanent housing, was 48% in 2002-03 and 50% in 2008-09.
Of all assessed decisions, the numbers of those deemed as ‘homeless priority intentional’, and ‘potentially homeless priority unintentional’ have also been relatively stable at approximately 2% and 7% respectively.
The proportion of households found to be ‘priority homeless unintentional’ has remained stable despite the ‘ineligible’ category being added to the assessment process in the 2007/08 at around 47%. Despite this there was a clear trend before 2007/08 of a decrease in ‘homeless non-priority’ cases when overall percentages dropped from 18% in 2002/03 to 14% in 2006/07.
Source: Scottish Government, 2009
Homelessness assessment applications deemed to be owed a permanent housing duty by a local authority, Great Britain
This graph shows the total number of homelessness applications assessed as being owed a permanent housing duty by the local authority across Britain from 2002/03 to 2008/09.
This assessment is made for those applications found to be eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need. The data is an indicator of the number of vulnerable individuals in need of housing as well as the related stress on local authorities to provide permanent housing.
England has seen a dramatic decrease in the number deemed to be owed a permanent housing duty, falling from 128,540 to 53,430 between 2002/03 and 2008/09. This represents a percentage decrease of 58.4% and corresponds to the introduction of the 2002 Homelessness Act.
Wales has seen a less dramatic reduction in the number of applications deemed to be owed a permanent housing duty, dropping from 6,975 in 2002/03 to 6,367 in 2007/08. This represents a decrease of 8.7%. The number owed a housing duty peaked in 2004/05 at 9,856 and was followed by a steady decrease. Again, this corresponds with the introduction of the Welsh Assembly Government’s revised National Homelessness Strategy in 2005.
By contrast, Scotland has seen a rise in the number of homelessness applications deemed to be owed a permanent housing duty between 2002/03 and 2008/09, increasing from 24,214 to 29,181, representing a rise of 20.5%. This rise may be due to local authorities increasing the coverage of their provision of permanent housing for homeless people as they gradually extend housing provision to non-priority-need applications in anticipation of the abolition of the priority need test in 2012.
Source: CLG, 2009; Welsh Assembly Government, 2008; Scottish Government, 2009
Households accepted as unintentionally homeless, 1980-2008
This graph shows the number of households that were accepted as unintentionally homeless between 1980 and 2008 in each country of the UK.
England and Wales have similar trends, with rising numbers during the recession in the early 1990s, decreases in the mid-1990s and then increases in the early 2000s, reflecting the fact that the buoyant housing market of the early 2000s squeezed many low-income households out of the market.
Since the peak of 2003 there has been a dramatic drop in the number of households accepted as homeless in England and Wales, which may be linked to the homelessness prevention agenda in these two countries.
Scotland and Northern Ireland saw a steady rise in the number of households accepted as homeless from the mid-1990s, although the number has dropped slightly since 2006.
Despite the recession the number of households accepted as homeless decreased between 2007 and 2008 in England and Wales. Scotland, however, saw an increase to the highest level recorded in the study period at 33,156 households. No data for 2008 was available for Northern Ireland.
Source: UK Housing Review, 2009: 206 and Northern Ireland Homelessness Statistics
Households in temporary accommodation, 1991-2008
This graph shows the number of households from 1991 to 2008 that were accepted as homeless and housed in temporary accommodation by local authorities while they waited to be re-housed. The graph includes England, Scotland and Wales.
The change in the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation follows a similar pattern to the number of statutory acceptances of homelessness. From 2004 to 2008 the number of households in temporary accommodation in England fell by 33.2%, while Wales saw a 30.5% decrease from 2005 to 2007 but a rise of 3.7% from 2007 to 2008.
By contrast, in Scotland the number of households in temporary accommodation has doubled, from around 4,000 cases in 2000 and 2001 to 8,577 in 2007 followed by an increase of nearly 1,000 cases in 2008. This is partly related to its differing legislation, the impact of the recession and the fact that the statutory safety net in Scotland is more extensive and more generous.
Source: UK Housing Review, 2009: 207-208
Homeless households in different types of temporary accommodation in England, 1991-2008
This graph shows the types of accommodation that homeless households have been temporarily housed in between 1991 and 2008. The data illustrates how homeless households have been distributed among different providers in England. In 2002, the UK Government introduced a two-year target to end the long-term use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children.
In 1991, a significant proportion of homeless households were housed in bed and breakfast (20.3%), while hostels accommodated 16.7%. By 2008, the significance of bed and breakfasts had declined and they accommodated only 3.8% of homeless households, and hostels 7.8%, suggesting Government efforts to reduce the use of bed and breakfast accommodation have been partly successful.
The declining use of bed and breakfast and hostels has been the result of a dramatic rise in the use of private sector leasing. Since 2002, the share of private sector leasing for homeless accommodation has been rising steadily from 38.8% to 70.7% in 2008.
This suggests that dependence on private sector leasing is now the preferred method to provide temporary accommodation for homeless households in England.
Source: UK Housing Review 2009: 207
Homeless households in different types of temporary accommodation in Wales, 1997-2008
This graph shows the types of accommodation that homeless households have been temporarily housed in from 1997 to 2008 in Wales. It illustrates how homeless households supported with temporary accommodation have been distributed among different housing providers in Wales.
The distribution of temporary accommodation for homeless households has gradually shifted away from local authority provision towards a stronger reliance on private sector leasing since 2005. Between 2005 and 2008, the percentage of homeless households in private sector leasing has increased from 17.5% to 40.6%. In contrast, the use of local authority dwellings has dropped from 23.5% to 12.7% during the same period of time.
In spite of the fact that the use of bed and breakfast accommodation has largely remained at the 8%–14% level in Wales, there have been some fluctuations throughout the time period. This included a sharp spike between 2002 and 2005 at 31%. Between 2005 and 2008 use of bed and breakfasts as a total percentage has dropped from 25.8% to 12.1%.
In 2006 The Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) Order was introduced, defining the standards that must be met when providing temporary accommodation. This includes a requirement for local authorities to determine whether temporary accommodation such as bed and breakfasts are fit enough and meet the individual needs of families. This may have informed the sharp rise in the use of private sector leasing after 2006.
Source: UK Housing Review 2009: Table 207
Homeless households in different types of temporary accommodation in Scotland, 1991-2008
This graph shows the types of accommodation that homeless households have been temporarily housed in from 1991 to 2008 in Scotland. It illustrates how homeless households supported with temporary accommodation have been distributed among different housing providers in Scotland.
Across the time frame, the majority of temporary accommodation has been provided in either local authority housing or hostels.
However, there has been a strong shift away from hostels towards local authority dwellings over the period. In 2001, legislation was passed that required councils to provide temporary accommodation, advice and assistance to every applicant that was assessed as homeless. In September 2002, councils had the additional obligation to provide temporary accommodation, advice and assistance to non-priority applicants who would have only received advice and assistance previously. This requirement may explain why there has been a shift towards the use of local authority dwellings. Between 1991 and 2008, the share of households accommodated by hostels fell from 43.2% to 11.5% while local authority provision doubled from 37.2% to 64.1%.
The use of bed and breakfast accommodation has been fluctuating over time, ranging from a low of 9.4% in 1997 to a high of 20.8% in 2005, and in 2008 it continued to house 16.9% of homeless households.
Source: UK Housing Review 2009: 208
Homeless households in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation in Great Britain, 1991-2008
This graph shows the number of homeless households housed in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation in Great Britain between 1991 and 2008 (under the provisions of the 1985 and the 1996 Housing Acts in England and Wales and under the provision of the Homeless Persons legislation in Scotland). No comparable data is available for Wales prior to 1997.
The use of bed and breakfast accommodation is highly erratic over the years examined. The use of bed and breakfast accommodation often does not adequately meet the housing needs of families.
England has seen the most variation in the total number of homeless households given temporary accommodation in bed and breakfast accommodation, with peaks in 1991 and 2002 at 12,150 and 13,240 respectively. In contrast, 2008 saw the lowest number of households (2,560) in bed and breakfast accommodation.
Scotland’s use of bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless households has gradually risen from a low of 355 in 1997 to 1,609 in 2008.
Wales experienced a record number of 772 households in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation in 2004. Since then, however, the number has rapidly decreased to 266 in 2008.
Source: UK Housing Review 2009: 207-208
Homeless households in temporary hostels and women's refuges in Great Britain, 1991-2008
This graph shows the number of homeless households accepted as homeless and housed temporarily in hostels and women’s refuges in Great Britain between 1991 and 2008 (under the provisions of the 1985 and the 1996 Housing Acts in England and Wales and under the provision of the Homeless Persons legislation in Scotland). No comparable data is available for Wales prior to 1997.
While England has seen a substantial decline in the use of these forms of temporary accommodation for homeless households, the patterns of use in Scotland and Wales have been more mixed.
In England, the number of homeless households in these two types of temporary accommodation reached a high of 10,840 in 1992. There was then a period of fluctuation until 2004, after which there has been a steady decline in the use of these forms of accommodation to house homeless households – 5,250 in 2008.
Scotland’s use of hostels and women’s refuges for homeless households has been relatively steady, with 1,363 cases in 1991 and 1,099 in 2008. The figures for Wales suggest that the use of these forms of temporary accommodation was minor in the late 1990s. However, their use increased from 1997, reaching 854 cases in 2004 before gradually decreasing to 306 cases in 2007 and rising slightly to 354 in 2008.
Source: UK Housing Review 2009: 207-208
Number of rough sleepers in Great Britain, 2001-2008
This graph shows the average daily number of rough sleepers in Great Britain between 2001 and 2008 (dependent on data availability) based on estimates and street counts in England and Wales. Numbers for Scotland are based on the average number of applications per month where a household member reported sleeping rough the night before applying for assistance. Data for Wales is only available for 2007-08.
Rough sleepers are those unable or unwilling to access temporary or permanent housing and this data can act as an indicator of long-term structural homelessness.
All countries have seen a decrease in the number of rough sleepers over the periods for which data is available. England has seen a decrease from an average daily number of 681 rough sleepers in 2001 to a lower level of 459 in 2005. In 2008 the average daily number of rough sleepers stood at 483.
Scotland and Wales also saw decreases. The average number of rough sleepers in Scotland dropped from 443 in 2003 to 282 in 2008 and in Wales from 183 in 2007 to 147 in 2008.
Source: CLG, 2009; Scottish Government, 2008; Welsh Assembly, 2008