To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the provision of services to households which are designated intentionally homeless; (314657)

Chapter 11 of the “Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities”, issued by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in July 2006 under section 182 of the Housing Act 1996 (“the 1996 Act”) provides guidance to local authorities on determining whether housing applicants became homeless, or threatened with homelessness, intentionally or unintentionally. Supplementary guidance on intentional homelessness, in respect of applicants who face homelessness following difficulties in mortgage commitments, was issued by the Secretary of State in August 2009 under s.182 of the 1996 Act. The guidance is available on the Department’s website at the following link:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/homelessnesscode

Under section 190(2)(a) of the 1996 Act, where a local housing authority in England are satisfied that an applicant is eligible for assistance, has a priority need for accommodation but has become homeless intentionally, the authority must secure that accommodation is available for the applicant's occupation for such period as they consider will give the applicant a reasonable opportunity of securing accommodation for his or her occupation. Under section 190(2)(b), the authority must also provide the applicant with (or secure that the applicant is provided with) advice and assistance in any attempts the applicant may make to secure that accommodation becomes available for his or her occupation. Under section 188(1) of the 1996 Act, authorities also have a duty to secure accommodation for applicants, pending inquiries, if they have reason to believe the applicant may eligible for assistance, homeless and may have a priority need for accommodation. This duty will apply even if the authority has reason to believe the applicant may have become homeless intentionally.

Information about English local housing authorities' activities under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly statistical release on statutory homelessness, available both in the Library and via the CLG website:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessq32009

Under the legislation, the priority need categories include, among others, applicants with whom dependent children reside or might reasonably be expected to reside. Data collected include the number of applicants accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, in priority need but intentionally homeless.

The number of households found to be eligible for assistance, intentionally homeless and in priority need in the years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 is 10,930, 9,560 and 8,890 respectively. Information about the number of these households that included children is not held centrally.

Information about the number of households found intentionally homeless and provided with emergency accommodation, and for how long they were accommodated, is not held centrally.

Data on households found to be eligible for assistance, intentionally homeless and in priority need are provided in live table 627 on statutory homelessness, which is published on the Department's website:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/141476.xls

The number of households accepted as eligible for assistance, in priority need but intentionally homeless and accommodated in temporary accommodation for such period as will give the applicant a reasonable opportunity to secure accommodation was 1,370, 810 and 840 at the end of March 2007, March 2008 and March 2009, respectively. The latest quarterly data show 600 such households in temporary accommodation at the end of September 2009.