Early intervention for homeless young people not materialising, charities warn

A report published by the Department of Communities and Local Government last week found that 35 per cent of people accepted as homeless by local authorities in 2011/12 were under the age of 25.

The Making Every Contact Count report argues that early intervention to help vulnerable young people stay in the family home is necessary to prevent youth homelessness.

It also says that supported accommodation is the best option for 16- and 17-year-olds with “higher needs” who are unable to stay in the family home.

But YMCA England chief executive Ian Green said that the focus on early intervention, though welcome, masks a massive decline in provision to actually prevent young people from being made homeless in the first place.

He added that he was “disappointed to see that the report still fails to recognise the current crisis homeless young people are facing”.

Green argued that an 11 per cent cut to the Supporting People programme, which helps young people with complex problems to maintain tenancies, and the abolition of ring fencing for the scheme, mean that vulnerable young people are more likely to face homelessness.

“Again the government offer no real solutions for those young people who rely heavily on supported accommodation, which will no doubt suffer greatly from cuts to Supporting People funding and the impending changes of welfare reform,” he said.

Green said that he knows of one council that is proposing to completely withdraw Supporting People funding for youth homelessness services.

“We are seeing different local authorities up and down the country make decisions that are negatively impacting upon young people,” he said.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said that the government’s good intentions should be backed up by action to tackle homelessness.

“This includes setting clear guidance for councils to record everyone who comes to them for help, in order to prevent people being repeatedly turned away and to make sure councils are doing all they can to help homeless families in their area,” he said.

The Making Every Contact Count report sets ten challenges for local authorities, which include having an annually reviewed homelessness strategy and a commitment not to place any young person aged 16 or 17 in bed and breakfast accommodation.