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Scottish councils report sharp jump in homelessness applications
Scottish councils saw a 16% jump in the number of homelessness applications received in the first three months of this year, latest officials figures have revealed.
Data from the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) showed that local authorities received 9,281 applications from people experiencing or threatened with homelessness between 1 January and 31 March.
This compared to 7,969 applications i the previous three months and was the highest quarterly figure for at least a year.
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In the year to March 2021 there were 33,792 homelessness applications in total.
The latest SHR figures also showed that as of 31 March 2022, 13,375 households remained in temporary accommodation, up 2% from the end of last year.
Since the start of the pandemic, the SHR has been collecting quarterly data from housing associations and councils to measure the impact of COVID-19 on landlords. However the latest set of figures is the last time quarterly figures will be collected.
Elsewhere, the latest data showed a 147% jump in the number of court actions initiated by local authorities.
A total of 366 cases were brought in the most recent quarter, which compared to 148 in the previous three months. The 366 figure was comfortably the highest number recorded in at least a year.
On rent arrears, housing associations reported a slight collective fall in the most recent three months to the end of March, of 4.26% – compared to 4.42% the previous quarter.
Local authorities also reported a fall in rent arrears from 8.88% to 8.48%. However this was still higher than any figure recorded in the first three quarters of 2021.
