Youth gangs block access to services
Some homelessness services are becoming associated with specific gangs, according to a new report by charity Railway Children.
The report looks at the links between street life and children who have become detached from parents, carers or social institutions.
Researchers spoke to 103 ‘detached’ young people and asked them about a variety of issues including their home lives, violence they had suffered and what drew them to the street.
It found that roughly half of the 50 young men it spoke to said they belonged to a gang. This made it more difficult for them to access help as they felt unable to use certain services as they were used by members of other gangs.
Emilie Smeaton, the author of the report, said: ‘Some were unable to access certain hostels because they were frequented by certain gangs.’
Detached young people prefer to get support from ‘informal support networks’, the report notes, rather than go to statutory and voluntary projects.
‘Children and young people employed a number of survival strategies on the streets including shoplifting, burglary, stealing cars, involvement in selling drugs, selling sex and begging,’ it concludes.
The report makes 24 recommendations. It says that services for adult homeless people are inappropriate for young people and separate services must be developed.
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