THE number of Borderers presenting themselves as homeless and applying for accommodation rose by 6 per cent in 2013/14, compared to the previous year when a 17 per cent hike was recorded.

Yet in Scotland as whole, applications fell by 8 per cent last year.

The data, published by the Scottish Government, shows that “statutory applications” to Scottish Borders Council’s homelessness service rose from 638 to 679.

In 24 of Scotland’s 32 council areas, the volume of such approaches actually fell and the increase in the Borders is the fourth highest in the country.

The number of homelessness assessments made by the council has also bucked the national downward trend, rising from 661 in 2012/13 to 697.

The number of Borders households living in temporary accommodation also increased slightly – from 89 in March 2013 to 94 in March this year.

Scottish Borders Council gave up its control of rented housing in 2003 when 6,700 homes with a book value of £56 million were transferred to the Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) for £23 million.

The housing charity Shelter Scotland has warned there are growing signs of affordable housing shortages in the Borders where there were 11,843 social rented sector homes in 2012/13. The charity said the ‘right to buy’ has seen the loss of 1,055 local affordable homes in the decade from 2003 to 2013.

The new figures from the Scottish Government were released after councillors were told that just 72 new affordable houses were completed in the region last year – well short of the 103 annual target identified in the council’s housing strategy.

In a bid to step up provision and acknowledging the failure of the private sector, in a depressed market, to meet demand, the council agreed in December last year to borrow up to £18.8 million to deliver 200 new rented homes over the next four years.

A further £3.3 million, raised over the same period from the Council Tax levied on second homes, will be used to offset the cost of land acquisition.

Seven months on and specific details of how and where this new provision will be delivered have yet to be revealed, although a council spokesperson said a clarifying press release on implementation was being prepared and would be issued “imminently”.

Responding to the homelessness data, Cathie Fancy, SBC’s group manager for housing strategy and services, told the Peeblesshire News: “It is difficult to gauge why more people are choosing to exercise their right to have a homeless assessment, but one reason may be that it is not always straightforward or feasible for someone to resolve their potential homelessness via the housing options route.

“As a result of the removal of priority need, there has been an increase in clients who would not otherwise have homeless priority.

“The council works with all its RSL [registered social landlord] partners and with the private sector to ensure people have fair access to social rented and/or affordable housing solutions.

“We are also working with partners to ensure we build as many new affordable homes as possible and ensure areas are regenerated to bring empty social and private sector properties back into use.

“Overall, the picture is looking positive in today’s climate of welfare reforms.” And she urged caution on the affordable housing completions (72) achieved last year, claiming: “It is not as simple as measuring delivery on an annual basis”.

She said 113 affordable houses had been completed in 2012/13 and that an “anticipated” 161 units would be delivered in 2014/15, bringing the three year total to 346, thus exceeding the 103 unit annual target.

“The council continues to work with the Scottish Government and its partners to identify other possible means of delivering additional affordable housing,” she added.

Meanwhile, SBHA – the region’s largest registered social landlord with over 6,000 rented properties – stressed its commitment to increasing affordable housing supply.

A spokesperson told us: “Last year we began a significant refurbishment programme and the early phases of building new homes.

“This resulted in 12 homes being available to meet housing need and, in the coming few years, we will deliver 55 new homes and undertake the major refurbishment of almost 100 homes, bringing long term, low-demand housing back into general use.

“We are aware that dealing with homelessness is not just about building and letting and we have invested heavily in the prevention of homelessness, supporting tenants who need additional help to remain in their homes, particularly when dealing with debt and financial problems.

“Our Help with Money team generated over £500,000 in additional income for over 700 SBHA tenants in 2013/14 and significantly reduced the risk of them losing their homes through debt.

“One of the challenges this year has been the change in housing benefits for those who under-occupy their home and we have worked with SBC to support the 520 households affected by his change, securing Discretionary Housing Payment [DHP] for 89 per cent of these tenants.” The spokesperson said SBHA was also working with Borders College to increase the skills of tenants aged 18-24, helping them to find work and thus reducing the risk of homelessness.