Poor social housing pushes young people into homelessness, report finds
Emily Harle
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Vulnerable young people are being pushed into homelessness by overcrowding and lack of safety in local authority housing, a new report from homelessness charity Centrepoint has found.
More than two-thirds of vulnerable young people consulted with previously lived in at least one overcrowded home according to the report, which examines responses from more than 200 young people with experiences of homelessness.
A third of respondents added that lack of privacy had been a key concern in a previous home, the report states.
-
Using the law to uphold vulnerable children’s rights and entitlements
-
Councils deliver support for child migrants as they adapt to UK life
Aminah, aged 19, lived in one of Centrepoint’s hostels last year following a break down in family relationships, said: “When I lived in my family home it was overcrowded – there was four of us sharing one room and then two people sharing a really small room. The council wouldn’t move us, so we were stuck there. We didn’t have any privacy, so it didn’t help our relationships.”
Safety was also a prominent issue for respondents, with six in 10 vulnerable young people saying that a lack of safety at home had been a concern for them and 60 per cent adding they had experienced violence, intimidation or harassment by other tenants, neighbours or housemates.
The report also finds that two-thirds of vulnerable young people have had to move home three times or more, before living independently.
Young people also believe that a safe and stable home has a positive impact on wellbeing and future prospects, with two-thirds agreeing that a stable and secure home would improve their mental health, and a majority of respondents saying they believed it would help them get on the job ladder and build a career.
We came together with experts from across the sector, plus partners and donors, to reflect on the research and discuss what needs to happen to improve vulnerable young people’s access to safe, secure and affordable housing.
— Centrepoint (@centrepointuk) April 19, 2023
Read the full report: https://t.co/EQNtwZeEuH 3/3 pic.twitter.com/SymMrz2Tep
Another former resident at Centrepoint said: “Housing, and living in a safe environment, is so important for young people and makes a massive difference to our health and wellbeing. It helps us maintain a stable job, helps us maintain relationships and helps us succeed with life aspirations.”
The report lays out a number of recommendations for the government to improve housing and reduce youth homelessness, including asking the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to incentivise the development of more social housing and increase the Homelessness Prevention Grant.
Centrepoint is also urging local authorities to repurpose existing local authority housing and exempt all care leavers from paying council tax.
Tom Kerridge, policy and research manager at Centrepoint, said: “Unsafe, unstable and unaffordable housing in earlier life is a common precursor of youth homelessness and too little is being done to address this.
“There is plenty the government can and should do to improve the lives of the most vulnerable young people - but our research shows that addressing the housing crisis should be top of the list. This means building better quality homes for families and innovating to find genuinely affordable housing solutions for young people, is perhaps the best way to address the youth homelessness crisis now and in the future.”
