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There are as many causes of homelessness as there are homeless
people. Sometimes it's debt, sometimes a fractured childhood
spent in care, often a broken relationship. It can be a mental
health issue, it might even be addiction.
Homeless people don't only sleep rough—they live in
hostels or in bedsits; they sleep on friends' floors or sofas;
they sleep in cars and sheds.
Homeless people do have some things in common though—they
have nowhere permanent to live and they have very few options.
The Private Rented Sector can provide a wide range of accommodation
but landlords with suitable properties, quite rightly, ask
for deposits and, sometimes, rent in advance. Generally, homeless
people can't meet these requirements and so often fall victim
to the unscrupulous or have no choice but to sleep rough.
Glasgow Rent Deposit & Support Scheme exists to bridge
a gap.The gap lies between people who are, or who are about
to become, homeless and landlords who have high quality accommodation
for rent. |
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| Section
11 pilot project Prevention of homelessnesss |
Section 11 of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003 (asp
10) requires all Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), private
sector landlords and mortgage lenders to give notice of new
eviction and repossession proceedings to the local authority.1
This section is not yet in force but in the South West of
Glasgow Money Matters is participating in
a pilot to help combat homelessness.
The local Social Work Team has developed an information pack
which is automatically sent to those at risk of homelessness.
The information pack provides practical information and advises
that benefit and money advice services are available free
of charge from Money Matters
Money Advice Centre and free legal representation
to prevent homelessness is available from Govan Law Centre
.
Cross referrals between Govan Money Matters and Govan
Law Centre and result in clients receiving a
comprehensive and high quality legal and money advice service.
This pilot is adopting a proactive early intervention approach
to preventing homelessness. The aims of the project are to
secure the following gains:
• Prevent homelessness
(and repeat homelessness) in the South West of Glasgow
• Target and deliver local services to those who need
them most
• Maximise client income where possible
• Enable clients to meet their financial responsibilities
through legal and money advice services
• Contribute
to sustainable and balanced communities
• Reduce
public expenditure - by preventing homelessness, savings would
be made to social work and housing budgets; expected saving
would be made to health costs (particularly mental health
expenditure). |
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| Glasgow
Rent Deposit and Support Scheme (GRDSS) |
Glasgow Rent Deposit & Support Scheme (GRDSS) provides
:
- Access for homeless or about to be homeless people to high
quality Private Rented Accommodation
- A simple-to-understand bond guarantee scheme meeting the
needs of both homeless people and landlords
- The assurances that Private Landlords need to allow homeless
people to access their accommodation
- A simple-to-understand bond guarantee scheme meeting the
needs of both homeless people and landlords
- In exceptional circumstances, a rent in advance payment
- a support package for everyone we accommodate to meet their
needs and allow them to sustain their tenancy
- a Scottish Short Assured Tenancy Agreement with a full inventory
of contents for each property
Who
qualifies for our help—and how do they access it?
The GROSS can help individuals, couples and families -people
who are homeless or who are about to be made homeless. They
must be capable of setting up home in private rented accommodation,
with support if need be. However, Glasgow City Council is
responsible for helping homeless people who are in "priority
need". It is the Council's duty to determine who is in
priority need.
People can either apply directly (see contact details below)
or be referred by Money Matters
Money Advice Centre,and other agencies including
the City Council.
GLASGOW
RENT DEPOSIT & SUPPORT SCHEME
Third Floor, Crowngate Business Centre, Brook Street,
Glasgow G40 3AP
Tel: 0141 550 7140 Fax: ON) 554 3295
Email: mail@grdss.org
web: www.grdss.org
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| Homelessness
etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 |
11 Notice to local authorities of proceedings for possession
and enforcement of standard securities
(1) Where a landlord raises proceedings for possession of
a dwellinghouse, the landlord must give notice of the raising
of the proceedings to the local authority in whose area the
dwellinghouse is situated, unless the landlord-
(a) is the local authority, or
(b) is required to give such notice to the local authority
under any other enactment.
(2) The schedule to this Act (which makes modifications of
enactments for the purpose of requiring that local authorities
are given notice of certain proceedings for possession of
houses and of steps taken to enforce certain standard securities)
has effect.
(3) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations made by statutory
instrument prescribe-
(a) the forms of notices to be given under subsection (1)
and under the enactments specified in subsection (5) (which
are the enactments modified by the schedule to this Act),
and
(b) the manner in which such notices are to be given.
(4) Such regulations may make different provision in relation
to different such notices.
(5) The enactments referred to in subsection (3)(a) are-
(a) section 19B(1) (notice to local authority of calling-up
of standard security) of the Conveyancing and Feudal Reform
(Scotland) Act 1970 (c.35),
(b) section 24(3)(c) (notice to local authority of application
to court for remedies on default of standard security) of
that Act,
(c) section 12A(1) (notice to local authority of proceedings
for possession of dwelling-house let on protected tenancy
or subject to statutory tenancy) of the Rent (Scotland) Act
1984 (c.58),
(d) section 19A(1) (notice to local authority of proceedings
for possession of house let on assured tenancy) of the Housing
(Scotland) Act 1988 (c.43),
(e) section 14(5A) (notice to local authority of proceedings
for possession of house let on Scottish secure tenancy) of
the 2001 Act,
(f) section 36(6A) (notice to local authority of proceedings
for possession of house let on short Scottish secure tenancy)
of that Act*
(g) section 4(4)(c) (notice to local authority of proceedings
to eject proprietor in personal occupancy) of the Mortgage
Rights (Scotland) Act 2001 (asp 11).
(6) A statutory instrument containing regulations under subsection
(3) is subject to annulment in pursuance o^ a resolution of
the Parliament.
(7) In section 79 (issue of guidance by the Scottish Ministers)
of the 2001 Act, in subsection (2), after paragraphrtb) insert-
"(ba) the action which should be taken by local authorities
on receipt of notices under-
(i) subsection (1) of section 11 of the Homelessness etc.
(Scotland) Act 2003 (asp 10),
(ii) the enactments specified in subsection (5) of that section,".
(8) In subsection (1)-
"dwellinghouse" means
any building, or part of a building, which is occupied or
intended to be occupied as a separate dwelling, and in particular
includes a flat,
"proceedings for possession"
means any proceedings in which decree of removing or warrant
of ejection or other like order is sought.
(9) This section binds the Crown. |
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