Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level, about households rather than individuals.
Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
Information on the numbers of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figures include: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which inquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
The number of dependent children (or expected children) in these households is also collected, but data on the number of adults is not. The latest (end June 2008) figures for total households and total children reported by the Essex authorities are shown in Table 1.
Local authority Total households in TA arranged by authority Total children (and expected children) within these households Basildon 315 382 Braintree 67 75 Brentwood 92 139 Castle Point 118 176 Chelmsford 83 57 Colchester 191 265 Epping Forest 79 98 Harlow 233 229 Maldon 38 49 Rochford 34 51 Southend-on-Sea 49 103 Tendring 172 206 Thurrock 66 74 Uttlesford 27 27
Authorities also report the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by each authority, who have been housed outside the borough. Latest figures reported by the Essex authorities are shown in Table 2. Data specifically on the number of children and adults housed outside the borough are not held centrally.
Local authority Total households in TA arranged by authority of which the number housed outside borough Basildon 315 0 Braintree 67 0 Brentwood 92 0 Castle Point 118 10 Chelmsford 83 0 Colchester 191 6 Epping Forest 79 7 Harlow 233 0 Maldon 38 4 Rochford 34 15 Southend-on-Sea 49 0 Tendring 172 0 Thurrock 66 3 Uttlesford 27 0