Homeless Action Scotland Conference 12 th November 2015 Val Holtom, South Lanarkshire Council

 Duty to provide temporary accommodation  No formal temporary accommodation standards but requirement that temporary accommodation be suitable & good quality  Temporary accommodation in England & Wales is provided differently and impact of Westminster legislation disproportionate in Scotland  Temporary Accommodation Sub-Group established 2013 to consider impact in Scotland

 Different landlords – Local Authority, RSL, private sector, voluntary organisation, charity  Different management agencies  Different support providers  Temporary Accommodation Sub-Group proposes 3 main types: emergency, general temporary, supported.

 Largely funded by rental income  Rents between £100 & £500 pw.  TASG sets out key costs as: rental costs, void costs, additional repairs element, furniture costs, direct staffing costs & overheads.  Costs may be supported by General Fund  Worth noting concern over many years that high rent charges in temporary accommodation can make it hard for people to work

 Subsidy cap where temporary accommodation leased from private sector or RSL  Under occupancy charge  Benefit cap

 Subsidy cap greater affect in England and Wales, though some impact in Scotland  Under occupancy charge – given the proportionately higher rents in temporary accommodation, impossible for tenants in temporary accommodation to pay: eg single person in 2 bedroom flat needs to make up £28 pw on a rent of £200

 Benefit cap – households with significant combined benefit income affected by cap – families with several children in properties with high rents (eg temporary accommodation) are most affected  Landlord responses: – accept higher arrears? Take action for non payment? (what about temporary accommodation duty?) Mitigate with DHP?

 Housing element paid direct to claimant  4 weeks in arrears  To one member of the household  Those under 35 now entitled to shared accommodation (single room) rate only

 Rent for temporary accommodation capped at LHA rate  No furniture element  Management element of £45 per property per week paid directly to landlord

 Current 1 bedroom LA owned temporary furnished flat – rent £195 pw  Under UC, will only be able to charge LHA rate: £ (Lothian) + £45 management charge (£161.52)  If under 35 year old stays there, will only be able to charge shared accommodation LHA rate: £68.27 (Lothian) + £45 (113.27)  Technically also a £45 management fee but as yet, no mechanism to pay and no-one has received it

 Supported exempt accommodation (not new): residents exempt from benefit cap, underoccupancy & UC.  3 new protected categories: all exempt from benefit cap & UC (payment to landlord) but not underoccupancy charges - Managed properties - Hostels - Refuges SPECIFIED EXEMPTSPECIFIED EXEMPT

Managed properties: Landlord must be RSL, voluntary organisation or charity – significant amount of support provided by anyone Refuges: RSL, charity, VO or LA – provided for people fleeing domestic abuse, no requirement for support Hostels: RSL, charity, VO or LA – significant amount of support, provided by anyone – not self contained accommodation

 Accommodation owned & managed by the local authority which is self contained – most temporary furnished flat provision and some of our good quality supported accommodation  Accommodation owned by the local authority & leased to an RSL or voluntary sector provider which is self contained but doesn’t involve a significant degree of support

 Don’t furnish temporary accommodation (reducing cost)  Make temporary accommodation shared (avoid under occupancy and impact of shared accommodation rate for single people)  Non exempt supported accommodation services managed by LA put out to tender  Lease all temporary furnished flats to a 3 rd party and attach significant levels of support  Locking off rooms in temporary accommodation if it’s underoccupied or use spare rooms to store possessions to save on storage costs

 How will local authorities adjust their rent structures for temporary accommodation? How will they deal with arrears & not being able to recover costs?  TAWG assesses TA funding shortfall in Scotland under UC as £25m Will households subject to sanctions receive housing costs?  Payment direct to tenant, 4 weeks in arrears – homeless households often move on in shorter time periods

 What might be the impact of Holyrood proposals for Scottish Social Security system?  We still want/have to provide temporary accommodation to a good standard  Pending decrease in benefit cap level (£20k outside London )  Likely removal of HB from under 25s.....  Will capping TA rents at LHA level remove barriers to employment?  Constantly changing information......

 Do you know what the likely impact of UC on temporary accommodation is/will be in your area?  Do you know what options are being considered or in place to manage the impact?  What are your main concerns?  What ideas do you have that might help to mitigate the impact?