News

Surge in care leavers assessed as homeless over last five years, charity warns

2 mins read Social Care
The number of young care leavers who report being homeless has increased by more than 50% over the last five years, analysis of government figures shows.
Become is urging the government to take urgent action to reduce the number of placement changes experienced by young people in care. Picture: Adobe Stock/Brian
Some 910 more young care leavers were assessed as homeless than two years ago - Adobe Stock

Care charity Become, which analysed the figures, found that 4,300 care leavers aged 18 to 20 were assessed as homeless in the last year – up from 2,790 in 2018/19, marking an increase of 54%.

The charity highlights that the increase has become more prevalent over the last two years, with figures jumping 27% between 2021/22 and 2023/24 – an increase of 910 young people.

The analysis shows that the number of care leavers aged 18 – 20 facing homelessness has risen more than twice as fast as the overall number of homeless households, and fifteen times faster than the overall number of young people facing homelessness.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here


More like this