HHR Consultation Questionnaire
Since Highland Housing Register was introduced in May 2008, we’ve been watching the operation and outcomes of the policy to see if it is working the way it was intended.
We’ve identified 6 areas where some change will either improve or clarify what we do and we would like to ask you whether you agree or disagree with the changes we propose. We also attach a comment form for you to give us your views on each of these changes.
1. Care and Support Needs
We have had feedback that this category of housing need may not always have included some people needing to live independently who were not necessarily moving from residential or nursing care.
In response we will extend and clarify eligibility to people from a wide range of settings, includingresidential care or nursing home, hospital and supported accommodation, as well as Throughcare and Aftercare and Kinship Care.
2. Local Connection
We learned from feedback from our staff and applicants that our policy was not very clear about what was meant by the term ‘Zone Connection’.
In response we propose to use the term “Local Connection” and will award an applicant additional priority where they “have established social or family networks in an area or where they otherwise have a need to reside in the area for the following reasons:
- to accept or maintain employment in the area applied for, or
- to receive or provide essential care or support in the area applied for.”
We will no longer apply points because someone already lives in an area but has no other need to live there.
3. Poor Housing Condition
We learned from feedback that this category of housing need was complicated and difficult to understand.
In response we will simplify the category to better identify and help people with poor housing conditions in the private sector. We will award priority based on 3 levels of property defects and will provide information and advice on newly introduced rights of private sector tenants and responsibilities for private landlords.
4. Overcrowding
In our previous policy applicants were awarded a different level of points if they were overcrowded because of overnight access to children than if they had children living with them or were pregnant.
We learned that there are quite a small number of applicants with demonstrated occasional access to children. To be more consistent and fair to these applicants we will award the same level of points for overcrowding to people in all these situations.
5. Underoccupancy
We learned from feedback that it can be challenging both financially and practically for some people to move house, and this may deter them from doing so.
In response we want to develop a “downsizing” policy which helps people to move to smaller more suitably sized housing. We want to target this approach in areas of Highland where we have a shortage of family homes.
6. Special Lettings Plans
We’ve learned that some communities which are under a lot of housing pressure sometimes need a special or targeted approach to how new housing provision is allocated to help sustain the community. This is more likely to apply to smaller communities, but may also be where there is a need to regenerate a community which is in decline.
In response we propose to introduce a system where eligible communities can have what is called a Special Lettings Plan to make sure that a minimum target of people with a specific need to live in the particular community have this need recognised in the assessment of their housing need.