Centrepoint Launch Modular Home Plan To Tackle Youth Homelessness

An estimated 103,000 young people approached their local council last year because they were homeless or at risk. Centrepoint has launched the biggest capital investment plan in its fifty-year history to deliver 300 new modular homes across London and Greater Manchester by 2021 to help young people into affordable accommodation, training, and employment. The charity’s own report revealed the extent at which the precarious balance between gig economy work and benefits tips too many people into homelessness. According to the survey, 42% of respondents encountered difficulties with their benefit claim when in precarious employment, with a further 38% saying their income was not enough to cover their rent. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/centrepoint-launch-modular-home-plan-to-tackle-youth-homelessness/

New Funding ‘Fails To Address’ Causes Of Youth Homelessness

The £48 million of funding announced by the Government for Councils to help deliver new and expanded services to prevent and reduce homelessness, fails to address root causes – according to property industry charity LandAid. The new funding will be available to councils in England to meet the costs of the Homelessness Reduction Private Members’ Bill, which if passed by Parliament, will mean anyone at risk of losing their home will get the help they need more quickly. LandAid Chief Executive Paul Morrish said: “Nothing in today’s announcement tackles the biggest twin causes of homelessness among young people; family breakdown and the appalling prognosis facing those leaving the care system.” Read more on 24housing.

Corbyn Speaks Out Against 'Social Cleansing'

Jeremy Corbyn has backed the Young and Homeless Helpline, while claiming the “social cleansing” of London was adding to the pressures on young people struggling to find somewhere to live. Delivering his outspoken comments while visiting a hostel run by the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, the Labour leader said young people in the capital were among those hardest hit by what he described as the “de-housing of those in social need”. Condemning a growing shortage of affordable housing, Mr Corbyn told The Independent: “In London there is always a competition between expensive commercial development and the need for the provision of good quality social housing, [but] it seems to me more imbalanced than ever now.” Read more on the Independent website.

Third Of Homeless Young Offenders 'In Unsafe Accommodation'

One in three homeless 16- and 17-year-olds who are in contact with youth offending teams (YOTs) are being placed in unsafe or unsuitable accommodation. A report by the Probation Inspectorate flagged up particular concerns about children sharing hostels or bed and breakfast accommodation with adult strangers. Inspectors found that while a minority of young people received excellent support, too many had been given a roof over their heads with little other than a few hours a week support from visiting professionals. The report reveals that the issue was not down to a lack of funding, rather a result of poor or incomplete assessments, a lack of joined-up working or recognition of children's wider needs. There was also a tendency to place children as though they were adults. Read more on the CYPN website.

Charity Gives London’s Young Homeless Tickets To Sleep On Night Buses

Homeless young people, unable to find beds in emergency hostels, are being given bus tickets to allow them to sleep on London’s night buses as the number of people sleeping rough in the capital soars, a leading homelessness charity has revealed. New Horizon Youth Centre, a day centre in central London that tries to find emergency accommodation for vulnerable young people in crisis situations, said staff distributed bus tickets on a regular basis, and gave young people details about the best routes looping around the capital through the night, so they could have a safe place to sleep. Read more on the Guardian website.

How Does The UK Compare With The Rest Of The EU On Key Housing Issues?

The UK is not alone in experiencing a housing crisis. Homelessness is increasing across Europe. Most worryingly, the biggest rise has been amongst young people. Faced with an increasingly competitive and expensive housing market due to the severe shortage of houses young people across the EU are remaining at home longer than ever. Where this isn’t an option, they are increasingly left with nowhere to live. Where people have a home there are often issues with quality; housing deprivation has increased in most EU countries while overcrowding, disrepair, and fuel poverty remain significant problems.  Read more on the NHF website.

B&Bs Never Suitable Accommodation For Homeless Children And Young People

Bed and breakfast accommodation is not suitable to house young homeless people - even in an emergency - the Local Government Ombudsman is reiterating. The message has been prompted by an LGO investigation, after a vulnerable teenager with significant behavioural problems was housed by the council in a B&B when his home life broke down. The teenager spent five days in B&B accommodation, but during that time the council did not carry out a new assessment of his needs – something that it is required to do by statutory guidance on homeless young people. The council did not realise that in providing him with accommodation it was treating him as a ‘looked after child’. The duties to looked after children are very specific and he should not have been allowed to stay in a B&B, or without significant support. The first time the council visited him at the B&B, was two days into his stay. Read more on the LGO website.

Surge in Homelessness among Young People across the UK

The numbers of homeless young people depending on councils and charities to put a roof over their heads, is three times greater than those officially recorded by the British government. According to a study by Cambridge University’s Centre for Housing and Planning Research, 83,000 homeless young people had to rely on charities and councils for shelter in 2013-14—far exceeding the 26,852 recorded by the Department for Communities and Local Government. At any one time, around 35,000 young people live in homeless accommodation across the UK. Most of the UK’s homeless young people (63,976) were located in England. Of these, 17,711 are located in the largest city, London. In Wales 4,133 were reported, 12,107 in Scotland and 3,025 in Northern Ireland. Download the report from the CHPR website.

Scale of Youth Homelessness 'Going Unrecorded'

More than three times as many homeless young people a year are estimated to be relying on charities and councils for a roof over their heads across the UK than officially recorded by the government, according to new research commissioned by the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. An estimated 83,000 homeless 16-24 year-olds relied on the support of councils and charities in the UK in 2013-14 compared to just 26,852 recorded by statutory homelessness figures compiled by the CLG and authorities. Hostels were found to be almost always full or over-subscribed, with around 35,000 young people in homeless accommodation at any one time across the UK. The government’s official homelessness statistics only record the number of homeless young people local authorities have a statutory duty to house –  those in ‘priority need’ such as young parents, under-18s or care leavers. Read more on the Centrepoint website.

Only £3m Saved By Cutting Housing Benefit

Proposed cuts to housing benefit would save the public purse just £3m – not the £120m announced recently by David Cameron – and could force thousands of young people back on to the streets. In fact, research by Heriot-Watt University and campaign group End Youth Homelessness (EYH) shows that only 140 more young people than estimated need to become homeless for it to start costing the taxpayer.  Read more on the Centrepoint website.

“Tragic Waste of Young Lives” Lost To Homelessness

Crisis has released new research warning of a 'tragic waste of young lives' lost to homelessness. The Nations Apart report reveals that half of all homeless people first become homeless aged under-21, with the majority going through the experience again and again because they don’t get the help they need.  The research provides the first ever profile of single homeless people across England, Wales and Scotland, showing the reasons people first become homeless and the horrific consequences for their lives. It warns that people who become homeless at a young age often face a vicious cycle that leaves them vulnerable to violence, substance abuse and problems with mental and physical health. Read more on the Crisis website.

Youth Homelessness Charity Struggles To Cope With Growing Demand

Nightstop provides safe overnight accommodation for young people but, as demand for beds soar by 300%, the charity is forced to turn away twice as many vulnerable people as before. In London, the need for Nightstop hosts has never been more urgent. Eighteen months ago, Depaul, the charity which runs Nightstop, was turning away two young people a day. In the last sixth months, that’s increased to four. Apart from two emergency hostels which are always full, there is nowhere other than the streets for young homeless people to go. It’s not just London, there’s a frightening lack of emergency accommodation for young people across the UK, and demand for the service has increased by 300% in just 12 months.  Nightstop currently only operates in 25% of the country. Read more on the Guardian website.

Sheltered Housing and Hotels to Be Converted For Homeless Youths

Sheltered housing schemes and disused hostels are to be converted into accommodation for young homeless people as part of a new £41.5m scheme to be funded by the Department of Health (DoH). The programme, which is made up of £40m from the DoH and £1.5m from the CLG, will be split between two projects. Part will go to the Platform for Life programme, which will award capital funding to housing associations, councils and private sector developers that bid to convert unsuitable sheltered housing, commercial premises such as disused hotels, or family hostels into homelessness accommodation. The second share of the £41.5m will go to a new round of the Homelessness Change hostel upgrade scheme and will focus on improving health outcomes. There is no fixed split of the shared £41.5m fund, so bids will be considered on their individual merits. Allocations must be spent by March 2016. Read more on Inside Housing.

Under 25s Become Homeless Because Parents Are Unwilling To House Them

Research indicates that homelessness amongst under-25s is a significant issue. Government figures show that between 1 October 2012 and 30 September 2013, 15,680 households headed by young people were accepted as statutory homeless in England. However, research by the charity Centrepoint in 2011, using wider data sets, estimated that at least 80,000 young people experience homelessness in the UK every year.  Young and Homeless 2013, based on a survey of 169 frontline agencies (homelessness charities and local authority housing departments), reveals that more than half of young people find themselves homeless because of relationship breakdown. Of those approaching local authorities for help:

·         44% said their parents were no longer willing to accommodate them

·         14% said a friend or relative was no longer willing to accommodate them

·         13% were victims of abuse or violence

Download a copy of the report from the Homeless Link website.

Evicted Young Mothers May Be Rehoused 200 Miles Away

Twenty-nine young single mothers facing eviction from the UK's largest hostel for homeless young people in London have been told they may be rehoused as far away as Manchester, Birmingham and Hastings as a result of cuts and welfare reforms. The exodus, which represents potentially one of the largest displacements of vulnerable people since the coalition's social security reform programme began, was triggered after housing support funding for young parents at Focus E15, a specialist hostel in east London, was cut by Newham council.  Read more on the Guardian website.

Website Aimed At Solving Young People's Housing Problems

Housing charity Shelter has launched a new website designed to assist people working with young people on their housing and homelessness problems.  Launched as part of the National Homelessness Advice Service, the website also aims to help local authorities and their voluntary sector partners to take a more proactive approach toward preventing young people from becoming homeless.  The site draws together good practice and recent research, with an emphasis on the importance of early intervention. As well as containing expert information and advice, the site also signposts to other useful agencies that provide specialist support for young homeless people.  Take a look at the new website by clicking on the Shelter logo below.

Needs Of Young Homeless Must Be Recognised

A charity is calling on strategic health bodies to ensure there are joined up services for young homeless people that recognise their complex needs.

Youth homelessness charity Depaul UK and biopharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca have published guidance to improve the health of young homeless people. It is addressed to health and wellbeing boards, which take up statutory functions to improve health services in local communities this month.  The guidance says the boards have an important role in ensuring services for young homeless people are integrated, ‘in particular joining up areas such as social care, transport, leisure planning and housing’.  Download a copy of the report from the Depaul UK website.

Charities Invited To Bid for Funding To End Rough Sleeping

Homelessness charities across England are able to bid for grants of up to £150,000 from a £4 million fund, which is part of the £20M Homelessness Transition Fund.  With over 2,300 people estimated to be sleeping out on any one night, priority will be given to areas that are experiencing high levels of homelessness or increased rough sleeping amongst groups such as young people, women and migrants. Organisations, especially those working in partnership, are encouraged to apply with ideas that help prevent rough sleeping, support individuals off the streets or ensure that, once helped, they do not become homeless again.  Read more on 24dash.

Charity to Offer Shipping Container Homes

A charity is planning to use shipping containers to house homeless young people in east London to allow them to live independently as they save for their own home.  Forest YMCA has identified sites in Leyton and Waltham Forest for the containers and has put in a planning application to Waltham Forest Council.  It plans to rent out the temporary homes, which cost up to £20,000 each, at a rate of 30 per cent of the minimum wage – about £75 a week.  The mYPad homes, as the charity calls them, will have a bed, small kitchen, toilet and shower and television.  Read more on the Forest YMCA website.