My name is Eve, and I work as a housing options broker on the Homeless Housing Options Scotland project. I work as a direct point of contact for clients that are homeless, or at risk of homelessness.
Changes to the homeless local connection legislation came into force by the Scottish Government on 29th November 2022 meaning that homeless applicants can now apply to any council area in Scotland.
Previously homeless clients could only apply to a local authority for homeless assistance if they had a local connection to the area.
A local connection was deemed to be:
- Family who have lived in the area for 5 years
- Employment
- If you or anyone in your household had lived in the area for 6 months in the last 12 months or 3 years out of the last 5 years
If an applicant did not have a local connection to the area, the local authority would then investigate whether you have a connection to another council area and the duty would be transferred to the alternative local authority. To transfer duty to another local authority, a Section 38 referral was required to be sent and accepted by the other local authority. This could often make the homeless process lengthier and more stressful as more people became entwined in the process. Taking away this requirement should break down some barriers and make the process more efficient.
It is important to mention that veterans under the Armed Forces covenant have been able to choose the council area they would like to live in for some time now and are not required to have a local connection.
The freedom of being able to choose the area that you would like to live in now gives homeless applicants the same freedom of choice as a private renter or homeowner. This change of legislation is also hugely beneficial for clients that do not have a stereotypical local connection, for example people who are care leavers and whose support network is not orientated around family.
We are hopeful that this change in legislation will allow our clients the liberty to make decisions over the area they would like to live in, and be afforded the opportunity to start afresh which is something that many people hope for when arising out of a period of turmoil and instability.