Prevention of homelessness
Pippa Goldschmidt, Branch Head Homelessness Division, Scottish Executive
Helen Keats, Policy Advisor, Housing Strategy and Support Directorate, Communities and Local Government Department
Professor Hal Pawson, Professor in Housing, Heriot Watt University
The session focussed on the Executive's flagship policy to abolish priority need by 2012.
The key focus of the session was the prevention agenda. This is seen by government as the key focus in order to achieve national targets in both Scotland and England.
Pippa's presentation focused on the Executives ambitious target to abolish priority need by 2012.
In order to achieve this, it is essential to understand what prevention activities and early intervention measures are effective – including proposed legislative measures in section 11 currently out for consultation. To this end, Heriot Watt has been commissioned to undertake a research project to determine the level and effectiveness of prevention activities across local authorities in Scotland. In addition, one of the key aims is to identify good practice and benchmark different approaches. However, although the research does focus on local authorities, the role of other landlords in the prevention agenda needs to be recognised.
In order to assist the research and identify the issues, the Executive has appointed 3 secondees to work with local authorities to pinpoint the barriers to meeting the 2012 targets.
Hal discussed the research in more detail including the methodology and the prevention activities that the research will explore in more depth:
- Planned moves from institutions into social housing
- Schemes that enable households to retain/ sustain social tenancies
- Schemes that allow people to access private tenancies – including RDG schemes
Conclusions from the report include findings that:
- Local authorities have stepped up prevention activities since 2003
- Many prevention services are small and/or experimental
- There is scope for improved practice
Another finding of the report highlights the lack systematic monitoring of service effectiveness across the board. This needs to be addressed if we really are to understand what works. Feedback from surveyed local authorities raised two significant issues which the Executive needs to consider – the concern that active prevention could be interpreted as "gate keeping" and a call for legislative reform to facilitate greater use of the private sector.
Helen summarised the approach that CLG have taken to address the needs of homelessness – summarised in their report Settled Homes, Changing Lives – a strategy for tackling homelessness – published in March 2005.
The government target in England focuses on halving the use of temporary accommodation by 2010 (to approximately 50,000). Their approach to this focuses on 5 areas:
- Prevent homelessness
- Tackle wider causes and symptoms
- Improved access to settled homes
- Sustained reductions in rough speakers
- Support for vulnerable people
However, it is essential that local authorities understand the main drivers for homelessness and tailor their services and resources according and have a full range of options that reflect drivers.
CLG have published a self assessment toolkit – Preventing Homelessness: A strategy health check which is available to download from their website.