'Staggering' increase in young people facing homelessness, charity says

More than 118,000 teens and young adults faced homelessness last year, a report from youth homelessness charity Centrepoint has found, in what has been described as a “staggering” increase from previous years. 

A total of 118,134 16- to 24-year-olds across the UK approached their council for help last year because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness between April 2023 and March 2024, an increase of 10% since the same time period the year before.  

In England, 101,460 young people reached out to their local councils for help in the last financial year, which Centrepoint stated was a 12% increase on the previous year (90,600). The charity added that in “all but one region in England”, the East of England, rates of teens and young adults facing homelessness had increased, with councils “struggling to keep up with demand”. 

The charity’s report found that Scotland was the only devolved nation that saw a slight decrease in the amount of teens and young people facing homelessness, a 2% fall since the previous reported time period. 

In Wales, rates increased by 7% to 6,400 young people facing homelessness, while in Northern Ireland rates remained very similar to previous years, with 2,896 young people reaching out for help.

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Additionally, Centrepoint’s report found that young people facing homelessness may not be getting the support they need. 

The charity explained that councils are responsible for either preventing or relieving a person’s homelessness, which could include finding them accommodation or helping them to stay in their home. In England, however, the charity estimated that a third of young people in England are “not getting the assessment they are entitled to”. 

Its latest figures found that less than three-quarters (67%) of young people who presented as homeless or at risk of being homeless were being assessed, which they stated signalled “councils may be struggling to keep up with demand”. 

Councils ‘can’t cope with the level of demand’

Centrepoint’s report found that many young people facing homelessness were not offered adequate support by local councils, citing the example of a pregnant 20-year-old who was rough sleeping. She was reportedly refused support by her local authority, who had told her she “would not be a priority need until reaching 20 weeks pregnant”, and asked her to provide a specific form, which reportedly goes against the Homeless Code of Guidance.

Another young person was reportedly told by their local council that ongoing physical abuse from a parent was “normal”, and they were judged “not a priority” without any further enquiries.

According to Centrepoint’s data between July 2023 and September 2024, there were 564 cases of “gatekeeping” by councils across England, with 202 cases “wrongly considered to not be priority need”.

The charity explained that as councils are struggling to meet demand, decisions are being taken on “who to assess and support” that they claim could be “illegal” in some cases, and “are no doubt putting very vulnerable young people’s lives at risk”.

“The number of young people facing homelessness alone has increased over the last year by a staggering amount. This increase would be difficult to manage in favourable conditions but, with councils already struggling to deliver services, it’s hardly surprising they can’t cope with the level of demand we are now seeing,” Balbir Kaur Chatrik, director of policy at Centrepoint, told the Big Issue.

“Every week the Centrepoint Helpline hears from young people in desperate situations, including those who are pregnant of fleeing domestic abuse – who are not even getting the chance to talk to the council, let alone find the support they so clearly need,” Chatrik explained.

She added that due to the “pressure councils are under”, many housing officers have “little option but to ignore” some of the young people facing homelessness and reaching out for support, adding that “only central government has the power to intervene”.

“Government ministers will rightly claim they inherited this crisis – and they are taking positive steps towards addressing it – but we are now in desperate need of leadership and urgent action. This is not just about funding but proper oversight from government that ensures councils are doing their job – and the most vulnerable young people are not left out,” she said.

The research followed government figures which found that the total number of children living in temporary accommodation in England has now reached 159,830.

It was also recently found that between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, 80 children tragically died while living in temporary accommodation, an issue which was described as “preventable and fixable” by campaigners.

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said the findings “broke [her] heart”, adding that the government will spend £1bn on preventing homelessness to fix a system that leaves “too many families trapped” in temporary accommodation.

“No child should be forced to grow up in unsafe and frankly appalling conditions and that is why we are taking urgent action to right the wrongs of the past,” she said.

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