Homelessness etc. Statistics after 2012

Duncan Gray & Dr. Andrew Waugh21.03.2013

What we’ve achieved in 2012-13

• Moved homelessness statistics to quarterly reporting

• Passed our UKSA Assessment

• Establishing data sharing agreement with SHBVN

Key DevelopmentsDate What happenedSpring/ Summer 2012 Housing Options impact on

applications31st December 2012 Priority need test abolished

1st April 2013 Data needs to be in place to support Scottish Housing Regulator Charter Return (ARC)

30 June 2013 New support duty comes into force

Monitoring Temporary Accommodation

Why introduce the HL3?

Why SG got involved?

– We can clearly define data specification– Give guidance to LAs to standardise

collection– Calculate SHR indicators on homelessness

on a consistent basis– Provide an automatic reporting system back

to LAs

The HL3

• Three stages– Is accommodation required?– Was accommodation offered?– Was accommodation taken up?

• Meeting on 12 Feb.• Specification released following meeting.• Voluntary but with strong incentives.

Incentives

Monitoring Housing Options Work

2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/20120

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

Number of Cases Assessed as Homeless

ScotlandEnglandContext

The History• Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, wrote in a

letter to Inside Housing this week that it is ‘simply not credible’

• “The Committee also considers that the Scottish Government should consider the development of a measurement tool for homelessness prevention work”

• Collection is led by LA demand. A number already have systems in place..

Development• Some questions influenced from the English

pro forma in the P1E, but case level• Happens upstream of homelessness.

Therefore needs to sit outwith homelessness recording (the HL1).

• As far as possible, we want to measure outcomes, not activity.

• Final consultation Jan/ Feb 2013.

The PREVENT1 Return

• Application Details• Household Characteristics• Reasons for application• Prevention Activity• Outcomes

Consultation - 2013

• Followed discussion in Stats User Group in Dec 2012

• Specific questions:-– Name of return;– Points of detail on draft sections.– Data interchange format.– Need for guidance.– Voluntary or Mandatory?– When able to provide?

• Responses from 18 councils and 3 voluntary bodies

Consultation councils- Name of return: No strong views- Detail: Most had specific comments on detail.- Format: Most CSV, some XML, [Excel!]- Guidance: Yes, majority similar to HL1.- Voluntary: Most would prefer mandatory.- When: Ranges from 1 – 6 months after spec

finalised. [One council – only after HL1 reviewed]

Consultation: voluntary bodies• Shelter/ SCSH [now Homeless Action Scotland (HAS)]

• Scottish Refugee CouncilShelter and HAS

– Points of detail on proforma.– When/ what to record

Scottish Refugee Council– More general points on homelessness and

refugees

Possible (minor) HL1 changes

• Ethnicity: Allow additional categories for consistency with PREVENT1

• Support: Possible changes to the codes available for support needs questions

• Outcomes: To measure non-permanent accommodation currently in HL2

Timetable for changesDataset Changes Agreed Go live Date

HL3 Feb 2013 Voluntary initiallyMandatory from ?

HL2 n/a Retired from ?

PREVENT1 HSUG 15 April 2013

Voluntary initially. Mandatory from ?

HL1 HSUG 15 April 2013

Continue as mandatory Make changes from ?

To be agreed by Homelessness Statistics User Group

Other Work• Monitoring of the Scottish Welfare Fund

(£33 million per annum)• XML Data Specification at:• http://

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/15257/1529/swf-dataspec

• Upload system to be in place by 30 June 2013

The End

• www.scotland.gov.uk/homelessstats