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Number of homelessness applications in Scotland fell by almost 10% during pandemic
The number of households in Scotland applying for homelessness assistance fell by almost 10% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, latest government statistics reveal.
In 2020/21, 33,792 homelessness applications were submitted to local authorities in Scotland, down 9% from the 30,541 applications submitted in 2019/20.
A total of 27,571 households in Scotland were assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness following an application, a 13% decrease compared to 23,561 in 2019/20.
The reduction in the number of households applying for homelessness support is believed to be in part driven by the ban on evictions that was introduced by the Scottish government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020/21 there was a 42% drop in the number of households becoming homeless from a private rented tenancy from 5,145 in 2019/20 to 2,984 in 2020/21.
The most common reasons for making a homelessness application in 2020/21 were ‘asked to leave’ (27%), followed by ‘dispute within the household/relationship: non-violent’ (22%) and ‘dispute within the household: violent or abusive’ (14%).
While the number of homelessness applications fell in Scotland in 2020/21, there was also a reduction in the number of cases closed.
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This meant the number of open homelessness cases increased by 10% between March 2020 and March 2021 when there were 25,226 open cases.
There were 13,079 households living in temporary accommodation in Scotland in March this year, up 12% from 11,665 in March 2020. This number peaked at 14,151 in September 2020.
The were 605 cases of individuals not being offered temporary accommodation in Scotland in 2020/21, a fall of 87% compared to 4,590 in the previous year.
Of the 605 instances in which households were not offered temporary accommodation last year, 525 occurred in Edinburgh.
Commenting on the statistics, Scottish housing secretary Shona Robison said: “Throughout the pandemic, the Scottish government’s priority has been to keep people safe from coronavirus.
“We introduced protections to prevent evictions, which have contributed to a 42% reduction in homelessness applications from the private rented sector.
“As recently as last week we announced a £10m grant fund to support tenants who are struggling as a direct result of the pandemic.
“We also saw a huge effort by partners to work collectively and move hundreds of people from the streets and night shelters into a place of safety. The number of people sleeping rough in the areas where it was concentrated is now at a record low.
“Although this has contributed to an increase in the numbers in temporary accommodation, our utmost objective now is to step up our work with councils to ensure people are supported into permanent settled accommodation. We are investing £37.5m to support councils to prioritise settled accommodation for all.
“I am glad we are starting to see reductions in number of open homeless cases and in the number of households in temporary accommodation since peaks in September 2020.
“We have pledged an extra £50m to end homelessness and rough sleeping. Our updated Ending Homelessness Together action plan, published with COSLA in October 2020, renews our commitment and is strongly endorsed by stakeholders.
“We are taking firm action and this month revealed that 102,055 affordable homes have been delivered since April 2007, with 70,866 of these for social rent.
“We also plan to deliver another 100,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% for social rent, as part of our Housing to 2040 strategy.”
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