Warning over record levels of youth homelessness this Christmas

The charity predicts that as many as 29,000 under-25s face being homeless this year.

Factors including the end of furlough, a drop in universal credit payments, and the cost of living going up are all cited by the charity for the increases in homeless young people.

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The Centrepoint data, which comes from Freedom of Information requests made to local authorities across the UK, shows 29,000 people are set to approach their council this winter because they are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

If the charity’s projections are accurate, figures could reach the highest level since 2016, when it started recording these figures.

Balbir Chatrik, director of policy at Centrepoint, said the figures are "hardly surprising".

"The after-effects of the pandemic - particularly long-term unemployment and the universal credit cut - have hit the most vulnerable young people the hardest,” she said.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that between June and August this year, nearly 13,000 more people aged 16 to 24 had been unemployed for more than a year compared with the same period a year earlier.

Meanwhile, separate ONS figures reveal that 19 young people, aged 15 to 24, died without a secure home in England and Wales last year including one young female and 18 young males.

Four of the deaths were of people aged 15 to 19, the figures show.

Chatrik added: "While the number of homeless young people who died last year is thankfully low, the fact remains that, even at a conservative estimate, almost 20 vulnerable young people lost their lives. 

"This Christmas a record level of 29,000 under-25s could find themselves homeless and facing impossible choices as they look for somewhere safe to stay. It simply does not have to be like this. And, with the cold weather drawing in, the government should be acting now to stop it. So far, we have seen too little funding and planning for severe weather and shelters, never mind provisions for the most vulnerable young people who are too scared to access all age accommodation. 

"If we want to see more young people escaping homelessness and ensure fewer die on the streets we need a clear strategy. With more young people than ever facing homelessness, and little concerted investment in age-appropriate services, the risk for tragedy is significant."