A paper examined the 2012 target in Scotland to eliminate homelessness - focusing on temporary accommodation provided for homeless people, and the variety of forms this shelter could take. There was little if any standardization of temporary accommodation, resulting in discrepancies between households and in some cases substandard accommodation.
Source: Temporary Accommodation for Homeless People: The need for standard guidelines, Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland (0131 225 4544)
Links: Discussion paper
Date: 2006-Dec
There were 93,090 households in England at the end of September 2006 living in accommodation arranged by local authorities under the statutory homelessness provisions (down 8 per cent on a year earlier).
Source: Statutory Homelessness: England 3rd Quarter 2006, Department for Communities and Local Government (020 7944 3000)
Links: Report | DCLG press release | Shelter press release | Crisis press release | Community Care report
Date: 2006-Dec
The government promised to end the use of bed and breakfast accommodation to house homeless young people aged 16-17 by 2010. It announced a package of measures which included supported lodgings schemes, providing foster-style accommodation for homeless young people.
Source: Speech by Ruth Kelly MP (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government), 14 November 2006
Links: Text of speech | YJB press release | Shelter press release | Crisis press release | YMCA press release | LGA press release | Relate press release | NCH press release | Foyer press release | Community Care report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Nov
The Housing Corporation published (following consultation) a strategy setting out what it expected housing associations to do in contributing to the prevention and tackling of homelessness.
Source: Tackling Homelessness, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Links: Strategy | Summary | Housing Corporation press release | NHF press release
Date: 2006-Nov
A report said that 1 in 7 children - 1.6 million overall - were growing up homeless or in bad housing. In England, children in bad housing were twice as likely to leave school with no GCSEs. Almost 310,000 children in bad housing in Britain were suffering long-term illness or disability.
Source: Becky Rice, Against the Odds: An investigation comparing the lives of children on either side of Britain?s housing divide, Shelter (020 7505 4699)
Links: Report | Summary | Shelter press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Nov
A survey found that the general public had little understanding of the plight of homeless people. Twice as many people said that they would feel sympathetic towards a homeless dog as those who would feel sympathetic towards a homeless person.
Source: Press release 27 November 2006, British Broadcasting Corporation (020 8576 8888)
Links: BBC press release | Survey report
Date: 2006-Nov
A report examined the position of single homeless women across England. Many of them were not receiving the assistance they required with accessing accommodation, reflecting the fact that their wider situations, needs, and vulnerabilities were not always adequately taken into account. The report called for improvements and changes to local authority homelessness assessments, decisions, and practices.
Source: Kesia Reeve, Rionach Casey and Rosalind Goudie, Homeless Women: Still being failed yet striving to survive, Crisis (020 7015 1800)
Links: Report | Summary | Crisis press release
Date: 2006-Nov
Campaigners said that research had found that 1 in 10 homeless people became homeless due to depression.
Source: Press release 13 November 2006, St. Mungo's (020 8600 3003)
Links: St Mungo's press release | Community Care report
Date: 2006-Nov
An article said that the supply of emergency accommodation for single homeless people remained 'markedly uneven', and that the quality of accommodation and care provided by some voluntary sector organizations was a cause for serious concern.
Source: Jon May, Paul Cloke and Sarah Johnsen, 'Shelter at the margins: New Labour and the changing state of emergency accommodation for single homeless people in Britain', Policy & Politics, Volume 34 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Oct
A survey examined the health problems of homeless people. It was found that 2 in 3 had physical health problems, and 1 in 3 had a condition relating to sleeping rough.
Source: S.O.S. - Sick of Suffering, St. Mungo's (020 8600 3003)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Sep
A report examined a range of support service models intended to help prevent homelessness, or to resolve homelessness when it did occur, in rural and remote rural areas in Scotland.
Source: Mark Bevan and Julie Rugg, Providing Homelessness Support Services in Rural and Remote Rural Areas: Exploring models for providing more effective local support, Communities Scotland (0131 313 0044)
Date: 2006-Sep
A report examined the growing problem of European migrant workers becoming homeless in Scotland. Migrant workers were making a significant contribution to the Scottish economy: but they were vulnerable to homelessness, and could have difficulty in accessing appropriate services. Their status as migrants could also make it complex for local authorities, and other service providers, to respond effectively to their needs.
Source: Homeless A8 Migrant Workers: The Scottish experience, Scottish Council for Single Homeless (0131 226 4382)
Links: Summary | SCSH press release
Date: 2006-Sep
There were 93,910 households in England at the end of June 2006 living in accommodation arranged by local authorities under the statutory homelessness provisions (down 7 per cent on a year earlier).
Source: Statutory Homelessness: England 2nd Quarter 2006, Department for Communities and Local Government (020 7944 3000)
Links: Report | DCLG press release | Shelter press release
Date: 2006-Sep
A report highlighted how participation in learning and skills could transform the lives of homeless people, at the same time as delivering important policy and financial benefits for a wide variety of government policies and programmes.
Source: Jane Luby and Julie Welch, Missed Opportunities: The case for investment in learning and skills for homeless people, Crisis (020 7015 1800)
Links: Report|Summary|<Crisis> press release
Date: 2006-Jul
A report presented the findings of a qualitative and quantitative study designed to help understand the learning and training experiences of homeless people.
Source: Opinion Leader Research, Homeless People and Learning and Skills: Participation, barriers and progression, Crisis (020 7015 1800)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jul
An article examined homelessness and drug misuse. It concluded that the relatives of problem drug-users should be offered increased assistance to help them deal with the many stresses that having a drug-dependent family member could bring.
Source: Peter Kemp, Joanne Neale and Michele Robertson, 'Homelessness among problem drug users: prevalence, risk factors and trigger events', Health and Social Care in the Community, Volume 14 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jul
A report examined the numbers and needs of street homeless people, and identified best practices in tackling street homelessness.
Source: Geoffrey Randall and Susan Brown, Steps Off the Street: Solutions to street homelessness, Crisis (020 7015 1800)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jul
A study examined the knowledge, views, and understanding of homelessness by service providers in Scotland. Just over half (55 per cent) of respondents did not feel that the abolition of the criterion of priority need was fair, and 59 per cent felt that the plan to suspend the criterion of local connection was not fair.
Source: Lyn Jardine and Kate Bilton, Knowledge, Understanding and Views of Homelessness amongst Service Providers, Scottish Executive (web publication only)
Links: Summary | CIH press release
Date: 2006-Jun
There were 96,370 households in England at the end of March 2006 living in accommodation arranged by local authorities under the statutory homelessness provisions (down 5 per cent on a year earlier).
Source: Statutory Homelessness: England 1st Quarter 2006, Department for Communities and Local Government (020 7944 3000)
Links: Report | DCLG press release | Crisis press release | Shelter press release
Date: 2006-Jun
A report examined the experiences of people who had made the transition from homelessness to employment while also managing a serious health condition.
Source: Nicola Smith, Bee Brooke, Alex Doyle and Laurence Bell, Employment Success Factors for Homeless People with Health Conditions, Off the Streets and into Work (020 7089 2722)
Links: Report | Appendices
Date: 2006-Jun
A report summarized key findings from an evaluation of homelessness prevention across ten local authorities in England. The most widely adopted approaches to homelessness prevention were: enhanced housing advice, rent deposit and similar schemes to enhance access to private tenancies, family mediation, domestic violence victim support, and tenancy sustainment.
Source: Evaluating Homelessness Prevention, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | DCLG press release
Date: 2006-Jun
A report said that the Supporting People programme had been successful in bringing new focus to the provision of housing support to vulnerable people. For homeless people, the best projects gave a level of support which enabled them to move towards independence: but for many their experience of accessing and using services could still be a frustrating and difficult one.
Source: Being Supported: Homeless people's views on the Supporting People Programme, Groundswell UK (020 7737 5500)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jun
An article examined the contexts within which discretionary decision-making on homelessness took place, including compliance with the law.
Source: Dave Cowan, Simon Halliday and Caroline Hunter, 'Adjudicating the implementation of homelessness law: the promise of socio-legal studies', Housing Studies, Volume 21 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-May
An article examined the causes of new episodes of homelessness among people aged 50 years and over in four English cities.
Source: Anthony Warnes and Maureen Crane, 'The causes of homelessness among older people in England', Housing Studies, Volume 21 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-May
The Court of Appeal ruled that two Dutch citizens who were not actively looking for work (because they had to look after their children) were entitled to council homes. The government responded by introducing regulations (effective from 20 April 2006) ensuring that nationals from the European Economic Area who did not have a right to reside in the United Kingdom were not eligible for council housing and homelessness assistance in England.
Source: Case of Ismael. Home Department, reported in The Guardian, 7 April 2006 | Press release 18 April 2006, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Guardian report | ODPM press release
Date: 2006-Apr
A report examined how the work of housing associations in tackling homelessness prevention contributed to the wider efficiency agenda - ensuring that best use was made of limited resources by helping people who had satisfactory accommodation to stay in it.
Source: Sarah Davis, Homelessness Prevention and Housing Associations: Contributing to efficiency, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Apr
Campaigners said that the increased attention being paid in Scotland to the prevention of homelessness was welcome: but there was a danger that an over-emphasis on this type of activity could lead to people being denied their rights under homelessness legislation.
Source: Homelessness Prevention in Scotland, Shelter Scotland (0131 473 7170)
Links: Report | Shelter Scotland press release
Date: 2006-Apr
The Housing Corporation began consultation on proposals to tackle homelessness, with a key focus on improving joint working and more use of preventative measures. It examined how housing associations might work with the Corporation and local authorities on reducing the numbers of households placed in temporary accommodation, and improving access to affordable housing for rent.
Source: Tackling Homelessness: Consultation paper, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Links: Consultation document | Housing Corporation press release
Date: 2006-Apr
There were 7,750 fewer homelessness acceptances recorded between October and December 2005 compared to the same period in 2004, continuing the downward trend in acceptances (and applications) since the beginning of 2004.
Source: Press release 13 March 2006, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: ODPM press release | Statistical press release | Shelter press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A report said that homeless people were the victims of exceptionally high levels of violence, crime, and victimization - far in excess of those experienced by the general public.
Source: Tim Newburn and Paul Rock, Living in Fear: Violence and victimisation in the lives of single homeless people, Crisis (020 7015 1800)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report said that the homelessness problem had got worse since the launch of the campaigning organization Shelter in 1966. More than 1 million children were trapped in bad housing - a problem which had developed because of a massive decline in levels of building of social housing.
Source: 40 Years On, Shelter (020 7505 4699)
Links: Report | Shelter press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Feb
A report evaluated rehabilitation projects to provide support for families with children who were at risk of homelessness or eviction due to anti-social behaviour. 8 out of 10 families concerned were headed by lone mothers, and a high rate of mental health problems and family violence within the households was also found.
Source: Judy Nixon et al., Interim Evaluation of Rehabilitation Projects for Families at Risk of Losing Their Homes as a Result of Anti-social Behaviour, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | Summary | Young People Now report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan
A research report explored the benefits of social and cultural activities for homeless people. It said that such activities could have a positive effect on mental health, alleviate social isolation, encourage engagement with services, and enhance communication.
Source: The Impact of Social and Cultural Activities on the Health and Wellbeing of Homeless People, Broadway (020 7089 9560)
Date: 2006-Jan
