Previous work has found that developing a consistent definition of homelessness is not feasible in the short term and better guidance on current statistics is therefore needed for data users. In general, the reasons for loss of previous home are largely consistent across the UK. This is a growing racket, where money is made by claiming to provide supported housing, ruining lives Scotland has also seen a slight increase in older homelessness applicants, though to a lesser degree than England and Northern Ireland, from 1,278 (April 2012 to March 2013) to 1,391 (April 2017 to March 2018) (Figure 9b). Time series data are not available for Northern Ireland. Wales and Northern Ireland also report loss of rented accommodation between April 2017 and March 2018, with 16% of households under relief duties in Wales and 15% of households presenting as homeless in Northern Ireland citing this as a reason for loss of home. Legislation is described in detail in the interactive tool for homelessness and the main points are summarised here. It is not possible to accurately estimate how long households are staying in temporary accommodation across the UK with currently available data, primarily owing to differences in data collection methods. Time series data suggest that an increase in prevention-based strategies to tackle homelessness may contribute to a fall in the number of households seeking help with homelessness (Figures 1a to 1d). Individuals or households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness will be owed a duty to help secure housing, which depends on country-specific legislation and the individual circumstances of the applicant. During the same period, 25% of applicants in Scotland cite a comparable category, asked to leave, as the reason for loss of home. Between April 2017 and March 2018, in England 21% of main housing duty acceptances were aged 16 to 24 years3 and in Scotland, 25% of applicants were aged 16 to 24 years. Across the UK as a whole, domestic violence is reported in around 1 in 10 cases as a reason for homelessness, though it should be noted that reporting categories and data collection methods are not fully aligned across countries. In July 2019 Wales published data for the year April 2018 to March 2019, but for comparability, data for the year April 2017 to March 2018 have been used here for analysis. Full details of each cohort and the data used for each country are provided within the figures and text. Figures reported for Wales between April 2017 and March 2018 were slightly higher, with 13% of outcomes under relief duties recorded as prison leavers (11%) or institution or care leavers (2%), but households may have multiple outcomes. A full breakdown of priority need categories is available in the GSS harmonisation report. The visit to the East Belfast Mission is part of a two This report discusses individuals and households that are homeless. Owing to substantial differences in legislation and data collection, alongside within-country changes to data collection, direct comparison of the number of people making homelessness applications and the number accepted for a housing duty is limited. Physical and mental health conditions emerge as primary priority need vulnerabilities or support needs among homeless households and, in general, analysis of the data suggests an increase in the complexity of household needs in recent years. For example, demographic data based on households that have been accepted as being owed a main housing duty will show a priority need bias. Analysing changes in household needs over time is difficult because of legislative changes affecting the information available, reporting categories and the cohort included in data output. However, in general, when applicants are found accommodation, this tends to be in the social rented sector: Scotland and Northern Ireland rehome almost all applicants in social housing while England and Wales rehome across the social and private rented sector. However, direct comparability can be challenging owing to differences in reporting categories and definitions. All of the data in this report for Wales beyond the year April 2014 to March 2015 represent outcomes rather than households and should be taken into account when comparing with other countries. Legislation and data collection are also in place to prevent homelessness among individuals and households who are threatened with homelessness but for reasons of scope, this report does not discuss prevention in detail. Banded age categories vary between countries but have been grouped together to produce comparable age bands where possible. More information about improvements to homelessness and rough sleeping statistics across the UK can be found in this related article. In general, time series data and snapshot data for the year April 2017 to March 2018 are based on P1E data. The largest category of households seeking help for homelessness in England and Scotland are aged between 25 and 49 years, Figure 8d: Young adults account for around a quarter of households seeking help for homelessness across the UK. Northern Ireland reported that 32% of single-person applicants were young adults aged between 16 to 25 years (April to September 2018). Above the age of 25 years, age breakdown is only available for England and Scotland. Scotland and England both report information on rough sleeping through case-level data for local authority homelessness applications. 16-24 year olds were homeless or at risk of homelessness in the UK. Although legislative categories for priority need are broadly similar across the UK, the distribution of categories that households are recorded under varies between countries and is likely influenced by the time at which priority need is assessed. Trends in the number of temporary accommodation placements in the UK are diverging with figures rising in England, variable in Wales, and relatively stable in Scotland and Northern Ireland over the last five years. Publication - Statistics Homelessness in Scotland: 2021/22 Published 18 August 2022 From Part of Housing ISBN This statistics bulletin provides information on homelessness in Scotland in the period from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, alongside historical data. In contrast, the number of households presenting as homeless in Northern Ireland has been relatively stable over the past 10 years with smaller fluctuations compared with the other UK countries (Figure 1d). During the same period, in Wales 4% of homeless households who were unsuccessfully relieved were subsequently found to be intentionally homeless and in priority need; while in Scotland, 4% of decisions on applications were deemed to be intentionally homeless, irrespective of priority need. Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding. The government is about to start taking action against rogue landlords who exploit loopholes in the benefits Where possible, data collected with and without priority need assessment have both been used for analysis. Differences in legislation mean that the data collected and reporting time frame in each country vary substantially. In Scotland, applications from 16 to 24 year olds have decreased from 12,494 (April 2012 to March 2013) to 8,884 (April 2017 to March 2018), a decrease of 29% (Figure 9b). An interactive tool to help users compare official statistics on homelessness and rough sleeping across the UK. The length of stay can therefore influence the proportion of households in different types of accommodation. In addition, trends in the age of the main household member over time are similar across the UK: England, Scotland and Northern Ireland all show a downward trend in applicants aged 24 to 25 years and under and an upward trend for older adults aged 60 years and over. 1 min HRH Prince William has launched Homewards, a five-year locally-led programme which will demonstrate that together it is possible to end homelessness: making it rare, brief, and unrepeated. However, in general, more male homeless applicants than female homeless applicants are reported across all countries, before or without priority need assessment (Figure 10). WebUnited Nations definition In 2004, the United Nations sector of Economic and Social Affairs defined a homeless household as those households without a shelter that would fall within the scope of living quarters due to a lack of a steady income. Changes to relationships are a central reason for people becoming homeless. Between April 2017 and March 2018, 27% of households accepted for a main housing duty in England cited loss of private sector tenancy as a reason for homelessness. Data for Wales are April 2017 to March 2018 and represent all applicants under relief duties. All countries collect data on the type of temporary accommodation in which households are placed, though categories and definitions are not aligned. In 2020/21 approximately 77.1 thousand people in England were owed Download all uk data Download uk factsheet. As reporting time frames are different in Northern Ireland to other countries, this should be taken into account when making comparisons. England and Wales currently include vulnerable prisoners with a local connection as being in priority need (where applicable). Time series data are available for priority needs only in England and Wales (not support needs) and support needs in Scotland. For this reason, both P1E and H-CLIC data have been used in this report. Across the UK, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG); the devolved administrations; other government departments; and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are working to improve the range and quality of the statistics, which feed into the overall evidence base. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Multiple data collection systems are used to collect quarterly data on homeless households. Moreover, methodology has recently changed in Wales, in 2016, limiting the opportunity for comparison. In London, 1 in 53 people are without a home. Overall, the number of people seeking help for homelessness based on the number of application decisions or number of presentations has been reasonably stable in the UK since around 2013. Scotland has seen an overall increase of 22% in applications where at least one support need was recorded, from 11,025 (April 2012 to March 2013) to 13,504 (April 2017 to March 2018). Over the same period, the number of temporary accommodation placements in Scotland has remained stable, from 10,750 (2012) to 10,933 (2018). In all countries, advice and guidance is available for all households who are not accepted for a legislative housing duty or those who are found to be intentionally homeless. In 2018, 84% of rough sleepers were male and around 94% were aged over 25 years. Accommodation type, tenure, rooms and bedrooms, central heating and car or van availability in England and Wales, Census 2021 data. However, direct comparison between housing duties in different countries is difficult, primarily owing to differences in when priority need is assessed, if at all. In Scotland, 73% of applications were accepted as being owed a main housing duty between April 2017 to March 2018. Changes in recent years mean that relief duties in England and Wales are now broadly similar to each other and more comparable with Scotland. We would like to use cookies to collect information about how you use ons.gov.uk. Other includes those vulnerable as a result of time spent in care, in custody or in HM forces and those fleeing home because of violence or the threat of violence (other than domestic violence). Over the same time period, Scotland initially saw a drop in the number of households with children in temporary accommodation, from 3,487 (2012) to 2,479 (2014), followed by an increase to 3,349 (2018). In Scotland, figures also include pregnant women. This may be because of differences in legislation or data recording; for example, priority need is a single-choice category, so children may be preferentially chosen over a priority need that could require further assessment. Assessment is at different stages of application in each country and data are not directly comparable. The proportion of households in temporary accommodation with children reported in March 2018 was similar in Wales (39%) and Scotland (31%), but it was substantially higher in England (76%) (Figure 4). This is a tool designed to Changes could include a marital or familial relationship breakdown involving a dispute or a change to circumstances that means the household can no longer accommodate everyone. England has seen an increase in the number of main housing duty acceptances for those aged over 60 years, from 1,800 (April 2012 to March 2013) to 2,500 (April 2017 to March 2018; Figure 9a). Homeless deaths have only been counted in recent years. The Bureau of Investigative Journalisms pioneering Dying Homeless project counted the deaths of 796 people in 18 months before handing over the project to the Museum of Homelessness in March 2019. England reports the gender for single-adult applicants and single-parent applicants. The type of temporary accommodation used varies between countries, with a larger proportion of private sector placements in England and Wales and a larger proportion of social sector placements in Scotland. In Wales, 38% placements were in private sector accommodation and 29% of placements were in social sector accommodation (March 2018). There are currently 1.1 million homeless animals in the UK. Single-person households without children make up the largest category of homeless applicants before or without priority need assessment. In particular, whether countries report the gender for all applicants or single applicants only varies between countries and limits the opportunity for direct comparison. Rough sleeping has been falling in recent years in Scotland and rising in England, though the most recent figure for England shows a small decrease from 2017 to 2018. This article also discusses homelessness housing duties, which describes those who are assisted or housed according to country-specific legislation, households in temporary accommodation, and people who are sleeping rough. Support needs data can be explored using the Support Needs dashboard. If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a It aims to begin building a UK-wide picture of homelessness and to discuss comparability and coherence within currently available data. Trends suggest an increase in the complexity of homeless household needs in recent years, particularly in relation to physical and mental health conditions. Seeking help for homelessness is used here as a general term to include all country-specific cohorts of people reported to be homeless. You can change your cookie settings at any time. With priority need assessment, the majority of households accepted for a housing duty are families with children. What UK policy or fund is the government getting right? In general, across UK legislation, rough sleeping is defined as a person bedding down or about to bed down in the open air, an outside shelter or other places not intended for habitation. [1] A similar distribution was seen in Wales, with 20% of those accepted for a main housing duty for physical health reasons and 32% accepted for mental health reasons. Reports, analysis and official statistics. Similarly, Glasgow accounts for 20% and Edinburgh 11% of people reporting rough sleeping at least once in the three months prior to making a homelessness application. Homelessness: statistics Homelessness is an increasing issue within the UK. Despite these challenges, there are UK-wide trends in demographics for homeless applicants. Landlords file around 3.6 million eviction cases every year. Number of statutory homelessness households in England 2020/21 by reason. It also reports on households in The largest category of households seeking help for homelessness in England and Scotland are aged between 25 and 49 years, Figure 8b: Young adults account for around a quarter of households seeking help for homelessness across the UK. In Northern Ireland, 17% of children in temporary accommodation were in either bed and breakfast accommodation (1%) or hostel accommodation (16%) in January 2019, though hostel accommodation arranged by the NIHE can provide families with self-contained, private facilities. WebTo end youth homelessness, we need to identify its impact and how young people seek homeless support. WE HAVE A NATIONAL, OPEN DATABANK OF YOUTH HOMELESSNESS STATISTICS. This section looks at the characteristics of people seeking help for homelessness across the UK with respect to the type of households seeking help, the age and gender of the main household member, and the support needs for homeless households. Between April 2017 and March 2018, England reported that 8% of all main housing duty decisions on applications were deemed to be households who were intentionally homeless and in priority need. By December, eviction filings were nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. Temporary accommodation may be provided while an assessment decision is being made or while homeless households are waiting for longer-term accommodation. Time series data for households with children have not been published for Northern Ireland. However, when using data for leavers, figures may be biased towards households that have been moved on or those that have had a short stay, particularly if more households enter temporary accommodation than leave. Homelessness in the UK Release date: 22 December 2022 FOI Ref: FOI/2022/4680 You asked Please can you tell me: 1. HL1 collects case-level information about applicants and HL2 and HL3 collect information on temporary accommodation. Around 13% of households were recorded as being lost to contact during the initial homeless relief period. Northern Ireland reports outcomes for households accepted for a housing duty over a six-month period. Although data from each country is not directly comparable, trends in demographics are evident across the UK. During the same time period, 11% of applicants in Scotland cited landlord termination of tenancy as a reason for homelessness. Data collection in Wales underwent a substantial change from April 2015 onwards and moved to an outcome-orientated approach. Threatened with homelessness within 56 days (England and Wales); within 2 months (Scotland); and within 28 days (Northern Ireland). This release provides information on statutory homelessness applications, duties, and outcomes for local authorities in England. Physical health and mental health conditions were primary support needs identified for homeless households from April 2017 to March 2018. Northern Ireland reports the age of single-person applicants and has also seen a fall in number among those aged 16 to 25 years: from 4,189 single-person applicants (April 2012 to March 2013) who were young adults, to 3,001 (April 2017 to March 2018), a fall of 28%, similar to those seen in England and Scotland (Figure 9c). Without priority need assessment, Scotland might be expected to accept more single people, thereby reducing the proportion of families with children in temporary accommodation relative to the overall pool. Aligning definitions and reporting categories for accommodation type would improve comparisons in this area. At present, the majority of stays reported by all countries are less than one year in length. Scotland does not assess for priority need at any stage of application, which should be taken into account when comparing with other countries. However, the proportions of households that are deemed to be intentionally homeless are consistently low in all countries. Northern Ireland assesses priority need upon application. During the same period, 6% of applicants in Scotland were homeless upon discharge from hospital, care, prison or other institutions, while in Northern Ireland 2% of households presenting as homeless were people who had been released from prison or hospital care. Time spent in temporary accommodation may also influence proportions, for example, if different household types are found accommodation at different rates. The Reporting categories for the reason for loss of last home are not currently aligned across UK homelessness data, making direct comparisons a challenge. The number of people living in the private rented sector who were at risk or became homeless due to a section WebCauses of homelessness vary across the UK access to benefits, economic growth and rent prices are key factors. Information on both methods is presented separately to estimate rough sleeping across the country. Official statistics on statutory homelessness in England for the 2020-21 financial year. Consultations and strategy. Priority need refers to legal categories of individuals or groups who are homeless with specific circumstances, such as households with pregnant women or children or those with physical or mental health conditions. At present, trends suggest the numbers of households with children in temporary accommodation are rising in both England and Scotland and are stable in Wales. However, data collection methods and differences in the type of information collected still impede comparability. However, given the substantial differences in methodology on which these trends are based, they cannot be directly compared. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. Across the UK, there is a large range in the type of temporary accommodation including public sector and local authority or housing association stock; private sector accommodation, either leased or nightly-paid; and alternative forms of accommodation such as hostels, refuges, and bed and breakfast-style accommodation. Scotland reports both a snapshot of the total number of households accommodated at the end of each quarter and the total number of placements over the year.