Youth homelessness rise linked to relationship breakdowns

Research by Homeless Link, the umbrella body for homeless charities, estimates that 16,000 young people were supported by homeless charities in October and November this year, and 13,000 presented themselves as homeless or sought advice on housing from local authorities in October, the equivalent of 400 a day across Britain.

Data collected from a sample of 79 homeless charities and 108 local authorities found that 44 per cent of charities and 48 per cent of local authority housing services reported an increase in people aged 16 to 24 seeking help because they are currently homeless or at risk of becoming so. The majority (61 per cent) of young people accessing homeless charities and nearly half of those seen by local authorities were aged 19 or under.

Breakdown of relationships with family and friends was identified as the main cause of homelessness, with 56 per cent of homeless charities and 46 per cent of local authorities reporting that cases of these breakdowns have increased.  

After relationship breakdown, the greatest changes found by homeless charities were in mental or physical health problems and drug or alcohol problems, which increased by 36 per cent and 31 per cent respectively.

Jacqui McCluskey, policy director at Homeless Link, said: "With more government homeless figures due out this week, these findings underline the grim impact that the recession is having on our young.

"With rising youth unemployment, a changing welfare system and many families struggling to get by, youth homelessness is likely to get worse. The longer someone doesn’t have a home, the more likely they are to develop complex problems and become trapped in a cycle of homelessness.

"If we don’t provide access to the right advice, help and support for young people now, we are potentially looking at a much bigger, and more expensive, problem in the future."

The study added that almost half (48 per cent) of both charities and local authorities said they had to turn away some young people because their resources were fully stretched.

Homeless Link is now recommending that family mediation services are not cut by local authority cuts and the Supporting People fund is protected.

The organisations also urged that alternatives to bed and breakfast accommodation for young people are found and that local authority housing and social services departments work better together to meet their legal requirements to 16- and 17-year-olds.

Better access to education, training and employment for young homeless people and easier entry into the private housing sector for young people is also necessary to stem the problem, according to the report.