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More than half of young homeless not receiving ‘meaningful support’ from councils, charity finds
More than half of all young homeless people, or those facing homelessness, who sought help from councils last year did not receive any meaningful support, according to new research from Centrepoint.
The research, based on Freedom of Information responses, found that at least 86,000 young people in the UK are either homeless or at risk. Of these, only 33% who went to their council were given a documented assessment, while 58% of those asking for help were not recorded as receiving “any meaningful support”.
The charity has estimated that English councils alone could have to assess 45,000 more vulnerable 16-24 year olds every year than they currently do, under the new duties in the Homelessness Reduction Act.
Centrepoint warned that town halls could “struggle to fulfil this new duty without significant additional resources”.
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Just 13% were accepted as statutory homeless and were deemed to be owed a right to housing.
Centrepoint said the 86,000 figure was “likely to be a significant underestimate” as it did not factor in people who sought help from family, friends or charities.
Paul Noblet, head of public affairs at Centrepoint said: “These figures lift the lid on the hidden crisis of youth homelessness in the UK. Tens of thousands of young people are asking for help, with many denied proper housing assessments and in some cases their legal right to housing. The Homelessness Reduction Act is a step in the right direction but it is absolutely vital that central government provides adequate funding to allow councils to fulfil their new duties and carry out tens of thousands of additional assessments.
“If demand for help continues to far outstrip the support councils are able to provide, vulnerable young people will continue being left to face desperate choices, like whether to stay at home and risk violence or take their chances on the streets.
“Centrepoint knows a timely intervention in the lives of homeless young people enables them to achieve their potential in education, training or work. Any young person who is worried about their housing situation should call the Centrepoint helpline for free advice on what support they are entitled to.”
Martin Tett, housing spokesperson at the Local Government Association’s Housing, said: “Local authorities do all they can to support homeless people in their communities into appropriate accommodation as quickly and as effectively as possible, but the reality is that demand for this support is growing, at the same time as councils face significant funding pressures.
“Councils are currently housing more than 77,000 homeless families with in excess of 120,000 homeless children in temporary accommodation. Whilst they are doing all they can to help families facing homelessness, it’s essential that the new Homelessness Reduction Act duties on councils are fully funded."
