Response 863460211

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Section 2: Principles of the Prevention Review Group - wider public bodies and landlords

1. Do you agree that these are the right foundational principles?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
I agree with shared responsibility with other public bodies provided they have ear-marked funding. I agree with homeless families having choice where they go – to fit in with schools, work, and not next to people selling drugs.

2. Are there any other principles that should be included? If so, why?

Please say what other principles should be included, and why
Having a fair priority system, no racial discrimination, follow-up with community support especially for people moving to a new area. These will help people trust the system and settle well in a new home.

3. Do you agree with the proposals to introduce new duties on public bodies to prevent homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
There must be funding. Many public bodies have difficulty managing their budgets anyway. What will suffer?

4. Do you agree that public bodies should be required to ‘ask and act’ to prevent homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Otherwise, unknowingly, they might contribute to homelessness which could result in more drain on their own services if the persons present again.

5. Which public bodies do you think a new duty to prevent homelessness should apply to and why?

Please say which public bodies you think and why
Prisons, in following up those leaving prison for longer to check their accommodation has worked out; hospitals (as long as good liaison with social care and housing departments), the military when people leave, immigration authorities, local authorities.

6. Do you agree to introducing a statutory duty on public bodies to prevent homelessness for anybody leaving an institution within six months?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
It is often those leaving institutions who are used to being looked after and struggle to become independent.

7. What would help public bodies to meet this requirement and how might it work in practice?

Please say what you think would help and how would it work in practice
Funding, link workers, tagging of some sort (by phones?)

Section 2: Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for Health and Social Care

8. Do you agree with the proposal that Integration Authorities should identify the housing circumstances of people using health and social care services, and where necessary work with partners to ensure that service users are assisted into suitable housing or prevent the risk of homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
They are best placed to sort these complex problems out.

9. Do you agree that a new legislative duty on Integration Authorities to identify housing circumstances of patients is the best way to prevent homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
It is complex work with many strands which all need addressing.

10. Do you agree that the Integration Authority should have primary legal responsibility for meeting accommodation and support needs where cases are so complex that they cannot be met in mainstream accommodation even with support?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Otherwise no-one takes responsibility

11. How would the Integration Authority having primary legal responsibility where cases are so complex work in practice?

Please say how this would work in practice
Key workers? Integrated funding pathways, identification of the person and follow-up.

12. Do you think a duty on the Integration Authority would positively impact on preventing homelessness for people with a range of more complex needs?

Please select one item
Positively Impact
No Impact
Negatively Impact
Please say why
In theory yes but would have to be piloted.

13. Do you agree with the proposal for a social worker or social care worker to have a duty to ‘ask and act’ about housing issues or the risk of homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Not only the social care worker, as problems are often more than they can manage on their own.

14. Do you agree that a duty to co-operate on the Integration Authority is the best way to ensure that people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, as a result of unmet health or social care needs, get the support they need from health and social care services?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why, and if you disagree please explain how this might be addressed
This depends on the Authority running well with person centred people

15. What changes to existing practice do you think local authorities and relevant health and social care services would have to make, to ensure they meet the needs of those leaving hospital and those with mental illness and impairment?

Please say what changes you think need to be made to existing practice
There would have to be much more capacity in the housing stock with some allocated for these people and adequate support and facilities.

16. Do you agree with the proposal that the local authority must provide assistance to anyone who is going to be discharged from hospital?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Those coming from hospital (especially from psychiatric hospital) would have a person to contact and turn to – not only a psychiatric nurse.

17. What would be the main challenges of introducing a statutory duty on local authorities to house those due to be discharged from hospital within the next six months?

Please say what you think the main challenges would be
Poor compliance and losing contact after discharge – the clients moving to other areas or dropping out of the systems.

18. Do you agree with the the proposal that GP practices are required to refer to local authorities where there is a risk of homelessness identified?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
GPs are often aware of problems of relationship breakdown, debt, violence and other factors leading to people becoming homeless.

19. Are there any additional approaches that could be adopted by GP practices to better identify and respond to housing need?

Please say any additional approaches
The link workers being more available and easier to access, debt crisis workers too.

Section 2: Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for case co-ordination for people with multiple or complex needs

20. Do you agree with the proposal that a statutory duty to put a case co-ordination approach in place for people requiring input from two or more public services is the right approach?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

21. If this statutory duty is established, how would it work in practice? What challenges would it present and how could these be best addressed?

If this statutory duty is established, please say how it would work in practice
There would be a key worker who would advocate and liaise with the client and the services.
If this statutory duty is established, please say what challenges it would present and how could these be best addressed
Continuing engagement, sickness of the workers, funding and capacity. Addressed by giving flexible capacity.

22. What difference would a case co-ordination approach make to people experiencing homelessness or a risk of homelessness who have more complex needs?

Please say what difference you think a legislative duty would make to people experiencing homelessness or a risk of homelessness who have more complex needs
More personable, hopefully, greater client involvement. Following Hilary Cottam’s books, making the best use of clients’ gifts and abilities; not treating them as objects of help.

Section 2: Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for Children's Services, young people and 16 and 17 year-olds

23. Do you agree with the proposal to establish a duty on health visitors or head teachers to identify a housing issue or risk of homelessness to a local authority?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
They are often aware of situations.

24. How would a duty on health visitors or head teachers to identify a housing issue or risk of homelessness to a local authority work in practice? At what stage should a referral be made to the local authority?

How would a duty on health visitors and head teachers work in practice
Early help and liaison with specialist workers from the authorities – not social care - who can say that people do not meet thresholds!
At what stage should a referral be made to the local authority
Early help and liaison with specialist workers from the authorities – not social care - who can say that people do not meet thresholds!

25. How can we ensure a homelessness prevention service is designed so that it can meet the needs of young people at risk, in partnership with other relevant services?

Please say how we can ensure this
No fixed “thresholds” and plenty of capacity (wishing for the unattainable?)

26. Do you agree that a local authority, possibly in partnership with others, should have a family mediation service as part of its legislative duties to prevent youth homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
But often there is abuse or things have gone too far wrong historically to be mended.

27. Do you think the proposal for 16 and 17 year olds would positively impact on the prevention of homelessness for young people?

Please select one item
Positively Impact
No Impact
Negatively Impact
Please say why
Too many young people leaving care end up being abused, trafficked or homeless.

28. Could there be any ‘unintended consequences’ for 16 and 17 year olds in taking this approach to legislation? If so, how can this best be addressed so that any new legislation improves outcomes for 16 and 17 year olds at risk of homelessness?

Please select one item
Yes, there could be 'unintended consequences'
No, there could not be any
Please say what the 'unintended consequences' could be, and how can this be addressed so that any new legislation improves outcomes for 16 and 17 year olds at risk of homelessness
The authority could collude, unwittingly, with those taking advantage of these vulnerable young people.

Section 2: Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for Criminal Justice - Prisons, Court Services and Police Scotland

29. Do you agree with the proposal to introduce new legal duties on prisons to ask about and work with partners to address housing issues to prevent homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
These are major issues in reoffending.

30. How would a statutory duty on prisons to identify and work with partners on housing issues change existing practice already in place to prevent homelessness amongst those leaving prison?

Please say how you think existing practice would change
The better prison services do this already, but it would pull up the standards of others.

31. What are the main challenges of introducing any new statutory duty on prisons to identify and work with partners on housing issues?

Please say what the main challenges are
They could pay “lip service” only to a duty (a sort of "gaming" the system).

32. What changes to existing practice would local authorities have to make to ensure they meet the needs of those leaving prison?

Please say what changes to existing practice you think would need to be made
More effective follow up

33. Do you agree with the proposal that housing options advice should be available in court settings?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
The offence often leads to loss of work and accommodation and/or a relationship, all of which lead to homelessness.

34. Do you agree with the proposal to place a statutory duty on the police to ask about somebody’s housing circumstances if there is ‘reasonable belief’ they may be homeless or at risk of homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

35. How would a statutory duty on police to ask about somebody's housing circumstances if there is a 'reasonable belief' they may be homeless or at risk of homelessness work in practice?

Please say how a statutory duty on police would work in practice
It might help the attitude of police people.

Section 2: Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for domestic abuse

36. Do you agree that the set of proposed measures on domestic abuse are complementary to each other and consideration should be given to implementing them in full?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Women and children are the most commonly affected and can end up in a refuge far from the children’s school or anywhere familiar.

37. Do you have any comments about the implementation of any specific proposal made in relation to preventing homelessness as a result of domestic abuse, and is there anything missing from these proposals?

Please say your comments, and if you think there is anything missing from these proposals
There needs to be adequate protection from further abuse, anonymity, a helpline, alarms, CCTV.

Section 2: Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for a local authority duty to respond to referrals

38. Do you agree with the proposal that there should be a statutory duty on a local authority to accept a referral from a public body to prevent homelessness, as part of legislative change that places a duty on public bodies to ‘ask and act’?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Otherwise they would not work.

39. If a statutory duty on local authorities to accept a referral from a public body to prevent homelessness was introduced, what would be the primary advantages and challenges compared to existing arrangements?

Please say what you think the primary advantages would be
There could be an audit trail. People themselves would not be phoning round and staying in a different hotel or hostel every night.

Please say what you think the primary challenges would be
Not enough places. Funding, supply of furniture and fitments.

40. Do you have a view on the issue of an individual’s consent in this process?

Please say your view
Every effort should be made to vulnerable, stressed and confused people to explain the options and agree consent.

Section 2: Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for joining-up services through strategic planning

41. Should the requirements for joining-up services through strategic planning to prevent homelessness be included in legislation or guidance?

Please select one item
The requirements should be included in legislation
The requirements should be included in guidance
Please say why
Guidance is better received, easier to work and can be as effective as legislation.

42. Are there any other requirements for joining-up services through strategic planning that should be considered?

Please say what other requirements should be considered
There need to be several linked pathways.

43. What do you think the implications are of increased joint working to prevent homelessness between public bodies on data sharing and data protection?

Please say what you think
There are risks of data leakage.

Section 2: Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for social landlords

45. Are there any other reasonable steps apart from those listed that a social landlord should be legally obliged to take to prevent homelessness?

Please say any other reasonable steps
Negotiations over rent, security of tenure and rent.

46. Do you agree with the proposal to legislate for the establishment of protocols by social landlords in relation to domestic abuse?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
The problem is that there is often conflicting evidence and complexity.

47. Do you agree with the proposal to legislate for the establishment of protocols by social landlords in relation to where tenants face court proceedings?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
These are the particular circumstances where tenants can lose their home overnight.

48. Given that landlords are already expected to notify local authorities of raising proceedings for possession, do you agree with a new legislative provision to ensure it happens earlier than under current arrangements?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
It is only reasonable and allows tenant time to reflect on the issues.

49. What further statutory measures beyond the existing Section 11 provision are needed so landlords notify and work with local authorities as soon as possible to prevent homelessness?

Please say what other statutory measures are needed
Section 11 is not always followed.

50. At how early a stage should a landlord be expected to notify a local authority about the risk of homelessness?

Please say how early a stage
As early as possible

Section 2: Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for private landlords

51. Do you agree with the proposal to make pre-action requirements on private landlords in cases of rent arrears permanent in legislation?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Would help give guidelines

52. How might a new legislative duty on local authorities to respond to referrals to prevent homelessness from private landlords work in practice?

Please say how this might work in practice
I am afraid of local authorities being overwhelmed.

53. What sort of support do you think private landlords may need to ensure they meet this requirement?

Please say what sort of support would be needed
Guarantees of referral of potential tenants with good references.

54. Do you agree with the proposal that a local authority should have a power to request a delay to eviction to allow time to secure a positive outcome for the tenant?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

55. The Prevention Review Group propose that the homelessness advice and assistance is designed to meet the needs of people living in and seeking to access the private rented sector. Do you agree with this proposal?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Benefits could well be needed to afford such places and someone who knows their way through the benefit system is to be much valued.

56. How would a specific legislative duty on local authorities to provide homelessness advice and assistance relating to living in and/or accessing the private rented sector work in practice?

Please say how this would work in practice
Housing benefit available for such tenancies?

Section 3: Principles of the Prevention Review Group - reforming homelessness legislation to prevent homelessness

57. Do you agree with these principles?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
A prioritisation scheme that is transparent.

58. Are there any other principles that should be included, if so, why?

Please say what other principles should be included, and why
Help with not re-offending if relevant, help with benefits.

59. What outcomes do you foresee if the above principles were to be adopted to amend the statutory homelessness framework?

Please say what outcomes you foresee
More trust in local government, better school attendance, mitigation of chronic health problems. Less re-offending.

Section 3: Changing the current homelessness legislation - An extended prevention duty and duty to take reasonable steps to prevent homelessness

60. Do you agree with the recommendation that there should be changes to existing homelessness legislation to ensure that a local authority must assist somebody threatened with homelessness within the next six months to prevent homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Otherwise multiple deprivations occur

61. How do you think a duty to prevent homelessness within six months would work in practice?

Please say how you think this duty would work in practice
There would have to be an expansion of available homes

62. How would an assessment be made to identify whether someone was at risk of homelessness within six months?

Please say how an assessment would be made
Through reports from prison, hospital, other landlords, social care, liaison from other areas, the police or home office.

63. Building on the experience of housing options approaches in Scotland, do you agree with the proposal to regulate for making specific measures available or reasonable steps to prevent homelessness in legislation?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Many empty properties are let for huge sums at the times of festivals.

64. Are there any other specific measures that should be made available or reasonable steps to prevent homelessness that should be included in legislation?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Please say why, and what are these other specific measures
Restrictions on properties in residential blocks being let for the festival.

65. Do you think the specific measures made available, or reasonable steps duties outlined, are clearly and unambiguously set out so that it is possible to measure their achievement? Do they need to be more specific?

Please select one item
Yes
No

66. If you agree with these new duties, what processes or procedures do you think should be put in place to encourage local authority compliance?

Please say what processes or procedures you think should be put in place
Further enquiries, reporting from other in the same block (?)

Section 3: Changing the current homelessness legislation - Personal Housing Plans, support needs and reasonable steps

67. How can we best ensure that an applicant’s views are addressed in a statutory assessment to prevent homelessness?

Please say how you think this could be best ensured
Using translation if needed, by asking and assessing the size of the family, special needs and preferences.

68. Should personal housing plans form part of a statutory assessment for preventing homelessness by local authorities, or just be an option for local authorities to use with an applicant?

Please select one item
Yes, they should form part of a statutory assessment
No, they should be an option
Please say why
This makes a better fit with the applicant.

69. Do you agree with the proposal that a local authority should assess housing support needs and make provision to meet them as part of a new prevention of homelessness duty?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
People's needs are very complex.

70. How and at what point do you think an individual's housing support needs should be assessed?

Please say how and at what point needs should be assessed
Before they become homeless or as early as possible.

71. An applicant during the time they are receiving prevention assistance under a new prevention duty from the homelessness system experiences loss of accommodation, or other change of circumstances which make the reasonable steps agreed to be carried out no longer valid. What should the process look like to ensure someone always has access to the right assistance for the circumstances they are in?

What should the process look like
Having emergency care workers associated with housing who can be on call.

72. What assistance should be provided to those who are defined as statutorily homeless but where it may be possible to prevent them from becoming homeless from their current accommodation (while ensuring it meets the definitions of suitable and stable)?

Please say what assistance you think should be provided
Multi-disciplinary help

Section 3: Changing the current homelessness legislation - meeting the needs of specific groups

73. Do you agree with the proposal for meeting the needs of specific groups?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
These are the most commonly at risk.

74. Is there anything you would add to these proposals that may strengthen legislative changes to prevent homelessness amongst specific groups?

Please say what you would add to these proposals to strengthen
No more at the moment

75. Do you agree with these proposals on preventing homelessness for people experiencing domestic abuse?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Often people are forced to stay in an abusive situation because they feel they would lose so much and cannot think where they would go.

76. Is there anything else that should be included in considering new legislative proposals on the prevention of homelessness resulting from domestic abuse?

Please say what else should be included
It is covered as far as can be seen at the moment

Section 3: Changing current homelessness legislation - stability and suitability of accommodation

77. Do you agree with the criteria proposed for the stability of housing outcomes?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
The aim should be to settle someone well.

78. Do you agree that 12 months is an appropriate minimum expected period for accommodation to be available (regardless of the type of tenure) for people who are threatened with homelessness or have become homeless?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
We must try and enable people to settle well

79. How do you see this working in a) a private tenancy; b) accommodation with an occupancy agreement; and c) those returning to the family home or to live with another relative?

Please say how you see these working in a private tenancy
Possible given support
Please say how you see this working in accommodation with an occupancy agreement
possible given support
Please say how you see this working for people returning to the family home or to live with another relative
Possible given support

80. Are these the right grounds to consider in deciding on the suitability of housing outcomes?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Please say why, and if you think any other grounds should be considered
These options are available now without much further housing stock being built.

81. Do you think the criteria/grounds proposed for both stability and suitability of housing outcomes would allow people a wider range of housing options to either prevent homelessness or rehouse someone who has become homeless, and that could lead to better outcomes for the applicant?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Please say why
People's needs are complex

82. The Prevention Review Group suggested that accommodation not protected by other legal safeguards must have additional safeguards in place. When taken with the general criteria/grounds for stability and suitability, do the proposed additional safeguards provide the right safeguards to ensure these accommodation types (non-standard) are always suitable and stable? Are there any additional safeguards that could be put in place?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Please say why, and if there are additional safeguards that could be put in place
This would need review.

Section 3: Changing the current homelessness legislation - Prevention Review Group proposed recommendations for enforcing people's rights

83. Do you think any additional measures are needed to ensure a right to review by the Local Authority within the proposed legislative measures to prevent homelessness?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Please say why
This will need reviewing after a short time.

84. What do you think are the key considerations in any appeal process linked to new legislative measures to prevent homelessness as outlined?

Please say what you think the key considerations are
Support from advocacy, help in assembling evidence.

85. Do you have anything to add to the proposal on the role of the Scottish Housing Regulator in relation to proposals for new legislative duties to prevent homelessness?

Please say what you would add to the proposal
Not sure at the moment

86. What implications do you think these proposals have for other regulatory bodies?

Please say what you think the implications would be
This would put more pressure on other regulatory bodies

87. Do you agree that there should be a general assessment of housing support needs of persons (separate to assessments for individuals) in an area as part of the Local Housing Strategy?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
This needs detailed assessment so the load can be shared between different areas.

Section 4: Questions on the package of Prevention Review Group proposals, resources and monitoring

88. Do you agree this is the right package of reforms to meet the policy principles of early intervention and preventing homelessness?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
Can only be assessed after a trial period.

89. If you do not agree this is the right package of reforms to meet the policy principles of early intervention and preventing homelessness, what do you recommend in terms of other ways of reforming the system to meet these policy principles?

Please say what you recommend in terms of other ways of reforming the system to meet these policy principles?
Not applicable

90. How do you feel about the overall package and the balance it strikes between the different objectives, interests and principles outlined?

Please say how you feel. Please think about whether the package works as a whole, and if it does not, how can the package be adjusted overall to better meet the principles of early intervention and prevention
This is balanced on the whole. It is a good attempt.

91. Please give us your views on the potential impact of the proposed new homelessness prevention duties on different groups of people.

Please say your views
Everyone will have to "step up".

92. What do you think are the potential implications for your role or for your organisation’s role of the implementation of new duties to prevent homelessness in terms of time and resource?

Please say what you think the implications are
More responsibility

93. What do you think you or your organisation would be doing to meet new homelessness prevention duties as outlined in this consultation that you were not doing before?

Please say what you think
An extra worker to liaise with people. Better appointments systems.

94. Do you think these proposals offer an opportunity for potential savings or benefits to services through an increased focus on early intervention and preventing homelessness?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Please say why
But they might prevent the same people going round and round the system, and enable people to settle more quickly and effectively in a new home.

95. What additional training needs do you think will be required for your role or your organisation’s role in implementing any new prevention of homelessness duties, and what do you think the timescales for this would be?

Please say what additional training needs you think will be required, and timescales
Will need to know how things can be done.

96. What monitoring information do you think should be collected in order to best assess the implementation, progress and outcomes of new legislative duties to prevent homelessness?

Please say what information you think should be collected
school attendance, employment, chronic illness, use of services, child protection issues, criminal allegations.

Section 5: Questions on the Prevention Review Group proposals on prevention of homelessness duties for people with lived or living experience of housing crisis, homelessness or risk of homelessness

97. When you most recently or previously became homeless were there any earlier actions that you think could have been taken by the council or other public bodies (health, education, justice services, etc.) that would have prevented it?

Please say what earlier actions you think could have been taken
Not applicable

98. What was the main action taken by the council or other public bodies to help prevent your most recent or previous homelessness?

What was the main action taken to help you
Not applicable

99. What other actions taken by the council or other public bodies do you think would have helped prevent your most recent or previous homelessness?

Please say what other actions you think would have helped you
Not applicable

100. Please list some of the different services, homeless and otherwise, that you were in contact with in the time before you most recently or previously became homeless?

Please list some of the services you were in contact with
Not applicable

101. How long (if at all) before you most recently or previously became homeless did you start receiving support?

Please say how long (if at all) you started receiving support
Not applicable

102. Did any services you were interacting with pick up on warning signs prior to your most recent or previous homelessness?

Please say what services picked up on warning signs and your experience
Not applicable

103. There is a proposal that public bodies would need to identify or ‘ask’ whether the people they work with have a risk of homelessness, and then would have a different role and opportunities to ‘act’ on this information. In some cases the action required would be a referral to the local authority. Do you agree with the proposal for a new duty to ‘ask and act’ about homelessness for public bodies such as health, justice, education, etc.?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why
These things might otherwise not be discovered

104. Do you think such a duty on public bodies would have made a difference to your experiences, and do you think it could have prevented your most recent or previous homelessness?

Please say why
Not applicable

105. There are proposals for making changes to the law so that action to prevent homelessness needs to be taken up to six months before you may become homeless. Do you agree with this approach?

Please select one item
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Please say why, and would it have helped prevent your most recent or previous homelessness
If possible

106. How would you know you are 6 months away from homelessness, and how would you know where to go for help?

How would you know you are 6 months away from homelessness
If given notice, divorce, prison, in care
How would you know where to go for help
Social care worker? Prison chaplain?

107. There are proposals for making changes to the law so that local authorities can prevent or resolve your homelessness by providing you with accommodation that is ‘stable and suitable’. Do you have a view on this proposal?

Please say your views on this proposal
I hope this proposal will be realised and effective

108. Is there anything else you wish to add to the proposals in this consultation to change the law on preventing homelessness based on your lived or living experience of homelessness?

Please say anything you would wish to add to the proposals in this consultation
No more

About you

111. Are you responding as an individual or an organisation?

Please select one item
(Required)
Individual
Organisation

112. If responding as an organisation, what is the name of your organisation?

I work in health as a GP

115. If you are responding as an organisation, please indicate where your main responsibilities are:

Please select all that apply
Housing and homelessness
Health and social care
Children’s services and young people
Prisons
Court services
Police
Domestic abuse
Social landlord
Private landlord