Digartrefedd: Ebrill i Fedi 2024

This release provides information on households applying to local authorities for housing assistance and local housing authorities’ activities under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 (UK legislation). This includes the prevention and relief of homelessness as well as the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation.  

For a more detailed breakdown of the legislative process, please visit our Homelessness: April 2023 to March 2024 release. 

• During April to September 2024, there were a total of 13,689 applications for assistance which resulted in a Section 62 assessment being carried out.
• 228 of these were ineligible households, with a further 2,307 being eligible, but not homeless or threatened with homelessness.
• 6,495 households were in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2024. 

The data may be subject to fluctuations and seasonal factors such as holidays and weather. These statistics are not seasonally adjusted. Data is sometimes revised at the end of the financial year and therefore the data should be treated with caution.

Figure 1: Outcomes of households threatened with homelessness (Section 66), April to September 2024 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 1: A donut chart showing the proportion of different outcomes for households threatened with homelessness (Section 66) between April and September 2024. 

Source: Welsh Government

Households for which assistance has been provided by outcome and household type (StatsWales)

[Note 1] Homelessness prevention is where a local authority takes positive action to provide housing assistance to someone who the authority considers is threatened with homelessness within 56 days. 

Between April and September 2024, 4,029 households were threatened with homelessness within 56 days. Of these, 2,067 (51%) were single person households.

Homelessness was successfully prevented for at least 6 months in 56% of cases, however, a further 28% were unsuccessful. 16% of households had other outcomes. Other outcomes can include assistance refused, non co-operation, application withdrawn, application withdrawn due to loss of contact and other reasons. 

Figure 2: Outcomes of homeless households owed a duty to help to secure accommodation (Section 73), April to September 2024 [Note 1] [Note 2] 

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Description of Figure 2: A donut chart showing the proportion of different outcomes for households owed a duty to help to secure accommodation (Section 73) between April and September 2024. 

Source: Welsh Government

Households for which assistance has been provided by outcome and household type (StatsWales)

[Note 1] Following notification that an applicant is homeless, the local authority will be under a duty (Section 73) to take reasonable steps to help to secure accommodation

[Note 2] Due to rounding, percentage total does not equal 100

Between April and September 2024, 6,477 households were homeless and owed a duty to help to secure accommodation. Of these, 4,668 (72%) were single person households. 

25% of households were successfully relieved. A further 54% were unsuccessfully relieved, with 20% having other outcomes.  

Figure 3: Outcomes for households unintentionally homeless and in priority need (Section 75), April to September 2024 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 3: A donut chart showing the proportion of different outcomes for households that were unintentionally homeless and in priority need (Section 75) between April and September 2024. 

Source: Welsh Government

Households for which assistance has been provided by outcome and household type (StatsWales)

[Note 1] If the household is homeless, has a priority need and is unintentionally homeless, the local authority will be under a duty to secure suitable accommodation. 

Between April and September 2024, 3,261 households were unintentionally homeless and in priority need. Of these, 2,091 (64%) were single person households. 

69% accepted an offer of settled suitable accommodation, with a further 27% of households having other outcomes. 4% of households refused assistance.  

6,495 households were in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2024, the highest figure since the introduction of the legislation in 2015. Of these, 1,698 were families with children. 41% of households in temporary accommodation were in bed and breakfasts, followed by public sector accommodation at 19% and private sector accommodation at 17%. 

Of the 2,652 households in bed and breakfast accommodation, 363 were families with children. The temporary accommodation with the highest proportion of families with children was seen in social housing stock, with 660 of the 1,257 households having children. 

At the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020, the Welsh Government put in place an emergency homelessness response. This response involved additional funding, together with both statutory and non-statutory guidance to ensure that no-one was left without accommodation, together with the support they need, to stay safe during the pandemic. 

This ‘no-one left out’ approach resulted in greater numbers of people being supported in temporary accommodation. In 2022, the Welsh Government introduced legislation to add an eleventh priority need category for those who are ‘street homeless’ to ensure no-one in Wales is forced to sleep rough. This ensured the continuation of the ‘no-one left out’ approach. It is likely that the differences seen in the types of provision used for temporary accommodation are a result of these changes to services as well as an overall increase in demand for homelessness services. 

For further information please see the Ending homelessness in Wales action plan.

This release provides summary information on statutory homelessness, which does not include persons sleeping rough. 

Detailed information on data quality and methodology can be found in the Homelessness quality report.

It is important to note the following differences between this statutory data collection and our monthly publications on homelessness accommodation provision and rough sleeping, and why the data from the publications shouldn’t be compared:

• Our collections on statutory homelessness capture data on the number of households, not individuals. This data relates to homelessness as defined by the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 (UK legislation).
• The monthly information relates to the number of individuals experiencing homelessness and being supported by local authorities into emergency accommodation or suitable long-term accommodation, as well as the estimates of persons sleeping rough.

Data estimation

For the number of households for which assistance has been provided during the period, Newport was unable to provide data for the period, Neath Port Talbot were unable to provide figures on section 66 outcomes during the period. For the number of households temporarily accommodated as of 30 September 2024 Newport provided data for this but did not provide data on household type during the period. For each data item, the Homelessness: April to September 2023 data return has been applied to their total to give an estimation. 

Official statistics status

All official statistics should show the standards of the Code of Practice for Statistics (UK Statistics Authority).

These are accredited official statistics. They were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in March 2019. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

It is Welsh Government’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected of accreditation. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with OSR promptly. Accreditation can be cancelled or suspended at any point when the highest standards are not maintained, and reinstated when standards are restored.

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

All of our statistics are produced and published in accordance with a number of statements and protocols to enhance trustworthiness, quality and value. These are set out in the Welsh Government’s Statement of Compliance.

These accredited official statistics (OSR) demonstrate the standards expected around trustworthiness, quality and public value in the following ways. 

Trustworthiness

The data is collected directly from local authorities, from departments that are directly involved with those being assessed for homelessness and applying for temporary accommodation.

Quality

The published figures provided are compiled by professional analysts using the latest available data and applying methods using their professional judgement and analytical skillset. Statistics published by Welsh Government adhere to the Statistical Quality Management Strategy which supplements the Quality pillar of the Code of Practice for Statistics (UK Statistics Authority) and the European Statistical System principles of quality for statistical outputs. 

Data for the Welsh Government Statutory Homelessness Collection is collected by Welsh Government directly from local authorities. Local authorities’ complete data collection forms based on data stored on their respective IT systems and return the completed forms to Welsh Government via its secure web data transfer system. 

Validation checks are performed by Welsh Government statisticians and queries referred to local authorities where necessary. The statistical release is then drafted, signed off by senior statisticians and published in line with the statement on confidentiality and data access which is informed by the trustworthiness pillar contained in the Code of Practice for Statistics (UK Statistics Authority).

Value

The purpose of the statistical release is to provide evidence for policy development and to inform the wider public about statutory homelessness across Wales. This statistical release also supports the Welsh Government’s long-term plan for homelessness: homelessness strategy.

They will be used to obtain timely and accurate information relating to homelessness prevention and relief, to complement the monthly homelessness accommodation provision and rough sleeping headline, which will be used in informing Ministerial advice and decision making in the wider policy context. 

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk  or via the OSR website.

Well-being of Future Generations Act (WFG)

The Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. The Act puts in place seven wellbeing goals for Wales. These are for a more equal, prosperous, resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales, with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. Under section (10)(1) of the Act, the Welsh Ministers must (a) publish indicators (“national indicators”) that must be applied for the purpose of measuring progress towards the achievement of the wellbeing goals, and (b) lay a copy of the national indicators before Senedd Cymru. Under section 10(8) of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, where the Welsh Ministers revise the national indicators, they must as soon as reasonably practicable (a) publish the indicators as revised and (b) lay a copy of them before the Senedd. These national indicators were laid before the Senedd in 2021. The indicators laid on 14 December 2021 replace the set laid on 16 March 2016.

Information on the indicators, along with narratives for each of the wellbeing goals and associated technical information is available in the Wellbeing of Wales report.

Further information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

The statistics included in this release includes one of the national indicators namely indicator 34 'Number of households successfully prevented from becoming homeless, per 10,000 households'.

Ystadegydd: Daisy Carey
E-bost: ystadegau.tai@llyw.cymru

Cyfryngau: 0300 025 8099

SDR 17/2025