Posts with tag: homelessness in britain

There are believed to be three times more homeless young people in Britain than official Government data suggests, reveals a new study.

Cambridge University estimates that around 83,000 homeless young people had to rely on councils and charities for shelter in the last year.

This is over three times the 26,852 young people recorded as homeless by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

More Homeless Young People than Government Suggests

The research says that this “worryingly high” level of youth homelessness is “a minimum estimate and it is likely that in reality more homeless young people access support across the UK.”

The study used official figures alongside examinations of 40 local authorities and a national poll of over 2,000 16-25-year-olds.

It observed homelessness over the course of a year, including rough sleeping, staying in hostels and sofa-surfing.

Chief Executive of homelessness charity Shelter, Campbell Robb, says: “This research paints a grim picture of youth homelessness in the UK and it demonstrates that the Government’s current plan to cut housing benefit for 18-21-year-olds could be nothing short of catastrophic, as it’s this which helps to pay for the hostel beds that keep young people off the streets.

“If the Government really wants to help young people, its first priority should be to invest in the safe, secure and genuinely affordable homes that are so desperately needed, rather than stripping away the threadbare safety net they have at the moment.”¹

ComRes conducted a survey for the study, which found that over one in seven young people (17%) have slept rough, including in cars or squats, in the last year.

The research states: “When the poll data was scaled up to reflect the wider population, an estimated 1.3m young people aged 16 to 24 have slept rough during the past year.”¹

A Government spokesperson comments: “Since 2010, we have increased spending to prevent homelessness, making more than £500m available to local authorities and the voluntary sector.”¹ 

¹ http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-youth-homelessness-figures-that-shame-britain–Z1ovOi0DGe