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Housing & Homelessness Update

Housing & Homelessness Update. Simon Bain Group Manager, Homelessness & Housing Allocations 12 th December 2013. Aims for today. Highlight what’s been happening in 2013. Who does what in the homeless team. Current and future challenges. Highlights 2013.

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Housing & Homelessness Update

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  1. Housing & Homelessness Update Simon Bain Group Manager, Homelessness & Housing Allocations 12th December 2013

  2. Aims for today • Highlight what’s been happening in 2013. • Who does what in the homeless team. • Current and future challenges.

  3. Highlights 2013 • January – review and reconfiguration of housing service, including homelessness (homeless prevention, housing options and advice). • March – revised MC Housing Allocations Policy. • August – Common Housing Register with Melville HA goes live. • August – new tenancy support provider (Places for People).

  4. Legal framework • The Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, part 2. • Responsibility to anyone threatened with or experiencing homelessness. LA must offer a minimum of temporary accommodation, advice and assistance to all homeless households and those at risk of homelessness. • Abolition of priority need test by December 2012. • All those assessed as unintentionally homeless are entitled to settled accommodation as a legal right. Achieved June 2012. • Statutory housing support duty - June 2013. • LA’s must assess the housing support needs of homeless applicants to whom they have a duty to secure settled accommodation to enable vulnerable people to maintain their tenancies, avoid repeat homelessness, and live independently.

  5. Policy & practice framework • Code of Guidance on Homelessness (2005). • Provides practical guidance to LA’s and other organisations working in partnership on how the legislation and related policies should be implemented. • Scottish Government homelessness guidance for the Best Interests of Children (2010). • Scottish Government guidance preventing homelessness (2009).

  6. Housing options and advice • Strong focus for Scottish Government and central to MC approach. • Process which starts with housing advice when someone approaches with a housing problem. This means looking at an individuals options and choices in the widest sense. This approach features early intervention and explores all possible tenure options. • Advice can also cover personal circumstances which may not necessarily be housing related, such as debt advice, mediation and mental health issues. Rather than only accepting a homelessness application homelessness services work together with other services to assist the individual with issues from an early stage in the hope of avoiding a housing crisis.

  7. Homelessness Team • Prevention – 3 x Homeless Prevention Officers - Helen Weekes, Nicola Thomson and Liam McCallum (Housing Options Officer). • Assessment / case work - 4 x Homelessness Officers – Matthew McGlone, Sharon Carstairs, Nicola Thomson, Alan Baxter and Ben Bradshaw (Mental Health Officer). • Accommodation – 3 x Accommodation Officers - Jason Bell, Christine Wilson and Lynne Pendreigh. • Benefits advice - Caroline Haigh – Benefits Officer. • Administrator – Ross O’Malley. • Team Leader – Alex Marks.

  8. Contact information • Office - Buccleuch House, 1 White Hart Street, Dalkeith. • Duty system – 9am -12.30pm and 1.30-5pm Mon, Tues, Thurs. Wed 10am start and Fri to 3.30pm. • Office hours - (0131) 271 3397. Emergency - (0131) 663 7211. • Homelessness.enquiries@midlothian.gov.uk • http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/info/1078/homelessness • Happy to meet with you and / or you come speak to us.

  9. Affordable renting in Midlothian • Demand for Council and Housing Association properties extremely high. • 3,850 active housing applicants on CHR (Nov 2013). • 1,000 homeless (55% single household asked to leave, 18% domestic violence). • 2,100 needs. • 750 choice. • Housing supply does not meet this demand – approx 700 Council and HA properties let per year - housing stock of 9,000 properties (mainly 2 beds). • Majority of housing applicants waiting 3-4 years. • Dalkeith, Mayfield, Gorebridge, Bonnyrigg/Poltonhall areas of highest availability. • Ave. monthly rent – 1 bed (£240), 2 bed (£268), 3 bed (£288) and 4 bed (£308).

  10. Affordable renting – Council and Housing Associations • Apply to Council and Melville HA Common Housing Register by completing 1 form. • Apply to other Housing Associations directly. • To ensure those in greatest need are prioritised, MC and Melville HA has a group and points housing allocation system is in place. • 45% of lets to homeless applicants (this group includes HM Forces), 40% of lets to general needs applicants and 15% of lets to choice applicants. • Applicants only offered size of property their household needs. • http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/info/981/tenancy_and_allocations/490/applying_for_a_council_house_in_midlothian

  11. Challenges • Impact of welfare reform • Limited affordable housing options for 16-35 year olds and single person households. Lack of 1 bedroom social rented housing supply. • More people with a combination of financial difficulties / debt / unemployment (sanctions). • Future impact on homeless temporary accommodation (UC). • Increased demand for homeless and housing advice services, but marked reduction in homeless assessments since Jan 2013. • Housing applicants waiting longer for social rented accommodation. • Reduction in LA finances.

  12. Simon BainGroup Manager, Homelessness & Housing Allocations Email: simon.bain@midlothian.gov.uk 0131 271 6679

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