Outcome 1 (C)

PoW: Transforming Places; Resilient People

General duty 1, 2 & 3.

Care experienced young people, disabled people, minority ethnic people and women experiencing domestic abuse have warm, safe, affordable and accessible housing (including housing support) that meets their needs. 

Equality Evidence/Reasoning

Homelessness:

• Domestic abuse remains the leading cause of homelessness amongst women, both in North Lanarkshire and across Scotland.

• Rise in the number of children associated with homelessness applications. Majority of homeless applications are from single males (46%) followed by single females (18%), single female parents (15%), single male parents (11%), couples with children (5%).

• Increasing support needs associated with homeless households.

• Children in temporary accommodation – Families spend longer in temporary accommodation.

• 16-25 year old remain disproportionately represented in homelessness statistics compared to the general population.

Older and disabled people:

• Demographic change will bring significant consequences for housing, wider public services and communities – with a need for increased accessible, adaptable homes and equipment.

• Disabled people are over-represented in the social sector.

Ethnic minority groups:

• Households from ethnic minority backgrounds are over-represented in the private rented sector.

• Asylum dispersal and humanitarian programmes have had and will continue to have a significant impact.

• Ethnic minority households are under-represented in specialist older people’s housing.

Gypsy Travellers:

• Number of unauthorised encampments generally reducing and continue to be concentrated around the spring/summer months.

• Limited info on CHR applications and tenants due to non-completion of equalities monitoring data.

LGB&T people:

National information indicates that these groups face additional housing barriers/challenges but not enough is known about housing experiences and challenges.

Outcome 2 (C)

PoW: Brighter Futures

General duty 2 & 3

More disabled people, women and minority ethnic people have access to Council funded employability support programmes and business support.

Equality Evidence/Reasoning

Unemployment has been at historically low levels since 2020 and there are continued vacancies in almost all sectors of the labour market with employers competing for staff.

Growth in economic inactivity is mainly due to ill health and in North Lanarkshire coincides with less economic activity in women aged 16-64 and reflects post covid trends nationally.

Economic inactivity is of concern especially among those with long term health issues and those caring for others. Unemployment rates, people on low incomes especially lone parents; women; disabled people; Black and minority ethnic people is also of concern.

Need to continue pioneering new approaches to supporting young people with additional support needs and care experienced young people to transition into the labour market from school or college.

Outcome 3 (C)

PoW: Resilient People

General duty 2 & 3

Young adults, lone parents, women, disabled people and those from different faith groups access the services of the Tackling Poverty Team.

Equality Evidence/Reasoning

The cost-of-living crisis has impacted across the board, however, young single adults have been significantly affected, as have families/lone parents in regard to income, cost of living and access to childcare/employment.

The Is Scotland Fairer Report stated that:

• Poverty rates are highest for single women with dependent children (36.2%) and single men without dependent children (35.6%), some 16 percentage points higher than for the total adult population. Poverty rates are also higher for single female pensioners (23.1%) compared to single male pensioners (17.9%), though both have rates higher than pensioner couples (11.1%).

• Levels of poverty and child poverty among ethnic minorities in Scotland remain worse than for White British people. In 2019/20, 36.9% of ethnic minority adults were in poverty compared with 17.5% of White British adults.

• The poverty rate for Muslim adults has remained persistently higher than the rate for non-religious adults. In 2017–2022, the poverty rate for Muslim adults was 63.1%.

• Households containing a disabled person are more likely to be financially vulnerable (meaning household savings would cover less than a month of income at the poverty line), particularly in recent years.

• In August 2022, 7 in 10 families in Scotland where someone is disabled had cut back on essential expenditure.