Young people and homelessness

Homeless Link has published their annual Young and Homeless report for 2013, based on a survey of homelessness organisations and local authorities and interviews with young homeless people and staff at homelessness providers.

Key findings include that:

• The main cause of homelessness amongst young people is that their parents are no longer willing to house them in 44 percent of cases, with the main driver being the irretrievable breakdown of relationship;
• Almost half of young homeless people are NEET at the point of becoming homeless and many lack independent living skills, sometimes due to disrupted education or difficult childhood experiences;
• Around a quarter of local authorities and two-thirds homelessness agencies reported that young people’s needs were more complex than last year;
• Six in 10 agencies said they were unable to provide support in the last month due to limited capacity;
• A range of welfare reforms are having a negative impact on young homeless people in particular, including the Shared Accommodation Rate limiting access to suitable private housing, as well as benefit sanctions; and
• Local authorities prevented homelessness for around a fifth of young people approaching them for help, with homelessness more commonly prevented amongst younger people aged under 18.

To download the full report visit www.cypnow.co.uk/digital_assets/307/Young-&-Homeless-2013-copy.pdf.

In addition, the Citizens Advice Bureau has published statistics on young people seeking help about homelessness and threatened homelessness. From 2007/08 to 2012/13 the Citizens Advice Bureau saw:

• 57 percent increase in problems for young people about actual homelessness;
• 39 percent increase in problems for young people with threatened homelessness;
• 49 percent increase in problems for young people with terms and conditions of employment; and
• 10 percent increase in problems for young people with pay and entitlements in employment.

For further information visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/pressoffice/press_index/press_office-20143001.htm.