Youth Homelessness Has Risen 40% In Five Years

Youth homeless in the UK has increased by an estimated two-fifths in five years, rising to more than 120,000, a leading charity director has warned, as fresh analysis suggests that black households are likely to be disproportionally affected. Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, said its estimates show 86,000 young people in the UK presented to their local authority as homeless or at risk in 2016/17, and that the figure increased to 121,000 in 2019-20. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/18/youth-homelessness-up-40-per-cent-in-five-years-says-uk-charity-centrepoint 

Housing Benefit Fails To Cover Rent In Nearly All Of England’s Council Areas

Local Housing Allowance payments are too small to cover average rent almost everywhere in England, analysts for youth homelessness charity Centrepoint have found. In 243 of the 247 local authorities where rent cost data was available, the lowest tier of housing benefit is not enough to pay for a room in a shared house – forcing young people to choose between rent and food. And in more than a third of council areas, the amount of Universal Credit paid to under-25s was at least £100 below the price of rent per month. Read more on the Big Issue website.

https://www.bigissue.com/latest/housing-benefit-fails-to-cover-rent-in-nearly-all-of-englands-council-areas/

More Young Notts People At Risk Of Homelessness Because Of Pandemic

At least 2,290 people aged between 16-24 approached their local authority in 2018/19 because they had become homeless or were at risk of losing their home, according to to a Freedom of Information request by Centrepoint, a youth homelessness charity. Of the 2,290 people, just 733 - or 32 percent - had a positive outcome, which includes finding accommodation or where homelessness was prevented. The charity is now concerned the pandemic may lead to more young people becoming homeless, having already received calls from people who had lost their homes due to the pandemic, as financial resources are stretched and local authorities come under pressure. Read more on the Chad website.

https://www.chad.co.uk/news/people/more-young-notts-people-risk-homelessness-because-pandemic-2561661

Over 22,000 16-25-Year-Olds Face Christmas Homelessness

New data collected from councils across England by Centrepoint shows some 22,000 young people aged 16-25 will be or are at risk of homelessness this Christmas. Centrepoint says the true scale of the crisis is hard to imagine, but in England the number of young people at risk of not having a safe place to call home this winter is comparable to the capacity of a sold-out gig at The O2 arena in London (20,000), or Birmingham’s NEC Arena (15,600). In addition to the council data, Centrepoint spoke to more than 200 young people, each of whom have recently experienced homelessness. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/over-22000-16-25-year-olds-face-christmas-homelessness/

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/

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

99% Of Councils Feel LHA Cap Restricts Young People’s Access To Housing

Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint said 99% of councils think the level of housing benefit young people are entitled to is not enough to rent in the private sector. People under 35 are usually only entitled to a lower rate of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) known as the Shared Accommodation Rate. And 85% of the 119 English local authorities surveyed said they struggle to deliver their housing duties because of welfare reforms affecting young people. Download the research report The Homelessness Reduction Act: Will it work for young people? From the Centrepoint website.

https://centrepoint.org.uk/media/2511/the-homelessness-reduction-act-will-it-work-for-young-people.pdf

Councils Warn Homelessness Reduction Act Hampered By Welfare Restrictions

Nearly all councils now think the level of housing benefit young people are entitled to isn’t enough to rent in the private sector, according to a new survey by Centrepoint. The charity fears that without reform, welfare restrictions will continue to drive young people into homelessness. This is despite the government’s flagship Homelessness Reduction Act which requires local authorities to provide more tailored support and advice to anyone who is threatened with homelessness. Centrepoint surveyed 119 English councils to examine the challenges they face in delivering their housing duties. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/councils-warn-homelessness-reduction-act-hampered-by-welfare-restrictions/

86,000 Young People In The UK Homeless Or At Risk

At least 86,000 young people across the UK are estimated to have sought help from local authorities in 2016-2017 because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness, according to new research released by Centrepoint. The LGA says the findings further reinforce its ‘crucial’ case for councils being able to borrow to build new homes and adapt welfare reforms to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place. Centrepoint bases its figures on 217 Freedom of Information responses from local authorities in England, a robust estimate for the 109 that did not provide this data, and data from the devolved nations. Read more on 24housing.

http://www.24housing.co.uk/news/86000-young-people-in-the-uk-homeless-or-at-risk-as-councils-struggle-to-meet-demand/

Zero-Hours Contracts 'Trapping Young People In Homelessness'

Zero-hours contracts are trapping young people in homelessness. Centrepoint has said that the controversial contracts are making it harder for 16 to 25-year-olds to escape homelessness and more likely for them to be saddled with rent arrears leading them being evicted. The result was young people trying to get back on their feet after having been homeless were effectively being penalised for getting a job. For young people on zero-hours contracts the first problem was getting a landlord willing to accept them as a tenant in rented accommodation. With the current affordable housing shortage landlords could pick and choose tenants, and many viewed zero-hours workers as worse than jobless benefits claimants. Read more on the Independent.

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.

Charities Call For Action On ‘Appalling’ Homelessness Problem

Most Londoners are “appalled” at the level of rough sleeping in the capital and want the next mayor to better use powers to tackle the problem, a report has found.  A group of 21 charities, including Crisis, St Mungo’s and Centrepoint, called for a drive to end the growing homelessness on London’s streets. The Lead London Home campaign said the average homeless person dies aged just 47 — 30 years younger than the national average — and is  13 times more likely to be a victim  of violence. More than 7,500 people slept rough in London last year, including 880 under-25s, and research by Crisis shows the figure has almost doubled in six years. Read more on the Evening Standard website.

Youth Homelessness Figure Eight Times Higher Than Government Admits

The full extent of youth homelessness is more than eight times higher than the Government admits, according to a new report. Some 136,000 young people aged between 16 and 24 in England and Wales sought emergency housing in the past year. In stark contrast, only 16,000 young people were officially classed as “statutory homeless” – which would mean councils had a legal duty to house them. Worryingly, some 30,000 of those seeking help were turned away with little if any support. And as many as 90,000 were only offered support such as family mediation, to help them stay at home, or debt advice. This means the vast majority of those going for help are not getting the full assistance they’d be entitled to if they were officially accepted as being homeless. Download the report from the Centrepoint website.

How Do Young People In Britain Become Homeless?

An in-depth study of youth homelessness reveals that violence, neglect and abuse are the main reasons for 16-25 year olds leaving home. The new research by the charity Centrepoint found that violence, abuse and neglect has driven 67 per cent of homeless people aged 16 to 25 away from home, up to 38 per cent of whom are being actively forced out by their parents. Meanwhile 23 per cent dealt with daily arguments and 21 per cent believed the level of violence at home left them with no option but to leave for their own safety. Centrepoint also says the decision to cut housing benefits for 18 to 21-year-olds will mean those forced to leave their family home face an even more uncertain future. Read more on the Centrepoint website.

Summer Budget: Reactions from the Sector

A wide range of housing organisations have given their reactions to the Budget. They include CIH; NHF; homeless charities Shelter, Crisis and Centrepoint; Generation Rent; YMCA; the London Assembly; Midland Heart; Hometrack; Placeshapers and Metropolitan Housing.  Read more on 24dash.

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.

Make Ending Youth Homelessness A Priority, Says 60% of Poll

More than 60 per cent of British adults polled by a charity think the government should make ending youth homelessness a priority. The ComRes poll, carried out for Centrepoint, questioned the attitudes of 2,079 British adults with 1,247 respondents (61 per cent) saying they believe the government should make ending youth homelessness a priority. The sample included 270 British adults from London; 291 from the south east; 83 from the north east; 229 from the north west; 187 from Yorkshire and Humberside; 187 from the west midlands; 146 from the east midlands. The greatest support for the statement came from London and the south east. Download a copy of the report from the ComRes website.

Million More Homes Needed For Vulnerable People

Nearly one million more new properties could be needed in England by 2021 for those on housing benefit, according to research by Cambridge University and homelessness charity Centrepoint.  In a new report, the organisations estimated that 934,388 extra sub-market housing units - those for social rent or accessible to tenants in the private rented sector on housing benefit - will be needed in addition to planned current supply.  It said that 137,535 of these would be required by people under 25, with such young people facing more barriers than ever to accessing housing. Read more on Inside Housing.