Housing Barriers Threaten Young Offender Rehabilitation

Young offenders leaving custody face a battle to access suitable housing, heightening the risk they will continue to be involved in crime, a report has warned. The report by Nacro and youth homelessness charity Centrepoint found that accessing safe and stable accommodation is vital to reducing reoffending when young people leave custody. But too often they face multiple barriers to finding somewhere suitable to stay. Researchers found poor-quality resettlement planning before young people leave custody to be an issue. They said that plans are often not carried out far enough in advance and fail to effectively take into account young people's needs. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/2005415/housing-barriers-threaten-young-offender-rehabilitation-study-finds

London Councils Trying To Force Homeless Families Out Of Capital

A handful of London councils are making aggressive use of legal powers to make “take or leave it” offers of housing in locations far away from the capital in an attempt to permanently resettle hundreds of homeless families. Officials are giving households 24 hours to accept private rented homes in the West Midlands, Essex and the south-east, warning that if they refuse the council will consider them to have become “intentionally homeless” and withdraw support. Research suggests half of offers made by 28 councils in locations in the West Midlands, more than 100 miles from London, are rejected, suggesting that many families are prepared to risk becoming homeless again rather than be uprooted from jobs and family support networks. Read more on the Guardian website.