Written question asked by Baroness Byford (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Andrews (Labour) on Monday, 20 April 2009.

Homelessness

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether statistical records are updated when homeless people find their own accommodation; and whether there is a record of those who return to homelessness.

Answer: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level. 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 so. The above local authority data include counts of households for whom a main duty is ended during a quarter. Some of these may have found their own accommodation, but we cannot identify these cases specifically within the figures. The local authority data also include counts of numbers of applicants who are accepted as owed a main homelessness duty, during a quarter, and had also been accepted within the previous two years.

Secondary information