Half of homeless teenagers turned away by councils

In its report on teenage homelessness The Children’s Society found that only half of homeless 16- and 17-year-olds who asked councils for help received an assessment, even though they have a legal obligation to provide this.

Based on responses from 259 councils across all tiers of local government, the charity also found that just one in five 16- and 17-year-olds who presented themselves as homeless were accommodated.

The report, Getting the House in Order, found that “many are encouraged to return home to their parents” even if they are homeless due to a family breakdown. But just five per cent are offered support to rebuild a relationship with a parent or carer.

Additionally, only one in five councils offers advocacy support to young people who present themselves as homeless.

The report also includes 74 case studies of young people who had become homeless. Key reasons included bereavement, mental health issues, crime and risk of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Another common theme among the young people who took part in the research was that many do not present themselves to their local council as homeless straight away, often only after exhausting other options such as staying with friends and extended family.

The Children’s Society is calling for multi-agency inspections of councils to monitor whether they are failing to support homeless teenagers. They should also ensure that teenagers are still treated as being a child in need even if they refuse looked-after status.

Safe accommodation needs to be more readily available with the use of bed and breakfast accommodation banned. Where a child is able to return home family support and mediation should be available.

The Children’s Society chief executive Matthew Reed said: “It is a national disgrace that thousands of vulnerable teenagers, who may have escaped physical or sexual abuse at home, have gone to their council to get help in finding a safe home, only to be turned away.
 
“These teenagers are being hung out to dry. Few have the money or resources to find new accommodation and their options are limited. At best they might rely on the goodwill of friends or family, at worst they may be forced to return to an unsafe home or to live on the streets.
 
“They are facing huge dangers from predators who seek to abuse or exploit them. Councils need to do much more to protect these vulnerable teenagers.”

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of housing charity Crisis, described these latest findings as “truly appalling.”

He added: “We cannot continue to fail our young people in this way. Councils must carry out proper assessments of homeless people coming to them for help and fulfil their legal duty to house under-18s in decent, appropriate accommodation. At the same time, we need party leaders to review the support given to all single homeless people under the law.”

In December 2014, a study by Coram Voice also found many homeless young people were not being helped to find housing by councils, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.