Shelter Scotland welcomes figures but warns housing crisis needs
more attention
HOMELESS applications in Scotland have dropped by 20% according to the latest Scottish Government statistics – but Shelter Scotland warns: “this success should not blind us.”
Figures released by the Scottish Government show homelessness applications and assessments and outcomes in April to September 2011 were 20% lower than the same period in 2010.
Local authorities received 23,796 applications for assistance under the homeless legislation with the number of applicants falling in 28 out of 32 council areas with the districts of Aberdeen city and the Scottish Borders seeing record drops of 56% in 2011. The Scottish Government are working towards a 2012 homelessness target which aims to ensure settled accommodation for all unintentionally homeless persons by the end of the year.
Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland congratulated the work of local homeless authorities across Scotland, but warned: “This success should not blind us to the scale of Scotland’s on-going housing crisis. Nearly 50,000 people [were] still presented as homeless in the last 12 months, so this progress needs to be a catalyst for even greater change.”
In light of the 2012 homelessness target, the Scottish Government will give priority to 90% of applicants deemed homeless in the 2011 assessment.
A Shelter Scotland spokesman told Scottish Times: “Local authorities should focus on preventing homelessness while the Scottish Government should not delay implementation of the crucial housing support provisions passed by the Scottish Parliament last year.”
Almost 25,000 cases were closed in 2011, with 64% of homeless assessed as having priority need were given accommodation in the form of local housing associations or private lets. This proportion was equal to figures from the same period in 2010 while the number of cases fell by 12%.
Housing Minister Keith Brown called the latest statistics “encouraging”, saying that figures “show that we are within touching distance of meeting the 2012 homelessness target.”
Between July and September 2011, 100% of all homeless in nine council districts were assessed as having priority need, in a further 11 council areas the figure was 90%.
Jim Ward, Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesman said "While we welcome a 20% decrease in homeless applications, there is absolutely no room for complacency." as "Homelessness still blights far too many lives in Scotland.”
Scottish Labour’s housing spokesperson Elaine Murray said: "We must not forget that people become homeless for all sorts of reasons and are among the most vulnerable people in our communities.
"I urge the SNP Government to pull out all the stops to make Scotland's 2012 homelessness target a reality."
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