Breakdown of health/disability issues for homelessness applications support: FOI release

Information requested

A detailed breakdown of what health/disability issues people have when they present at local authorities when homeless.

Response

The Scottish Government collects information on reason support may need to be provided for households that make a homelessness application. Response options include ‘mental health problem’, ‘learning disability’, ‘physical disability’, ‘medical condition’ and ‘drug or alcohol dependency’. This information is recorded by the homelessness officer. A full support needs assessment will not necessarily have been completed when this information is recorded.

Information is published at Scotland level for households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness as part of the annual Homelessness in Scotland statistics series. The most recent year available is 2023-24 and the information is available in table 19 of the Main tables- Homelessness in Scotland: 2023-24.

No information is gathered against the definition of the disability under the Equality Act 2010. Likewise, no information is gathered on autism specifically.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.