Young People and Homelessness

Homelessness is a growing problem in the UK and in the capital the issue is even more apparent, particularly amongst our young people. It can be difficult to form accurate figures around the numbers of homeless people but government figures show that over half are aged between 16 and 24, and over 35 per cent of these young people are in London. In addition to official figures there are a high number of homeless young people who are not accounted for, who are classed as hidden homeless. Approximately 400,000 people nationally are considered hidden homeless, these people tend to be living in hostels, squatting, sofa surfing or staying with friends or family. Additionally, in 2014/15 more than 7,500 people slept rough for at least one night in London, 12 per cent of these were under 25, which is double the number since 2009/10.

Local authorities have specific statutory legal duties to help support homeless people, and in the case of young people under the age of 18, they have a duty of care, particularly to those considered to be in high need. In 2014/15 councils supported 13,490 homeless young people aged between 16 and 24, which is equal to over a quarter of total homelessness acceptances nationally.  

London boroughs are working hard to house young people in need of accommodation but in London the gap between availability of suitable affordable accommodation and the amount of people in need is ever widening. Boroughs have a legal duty to support those considered to be in ‘priority need’ in the first instance, including pregnant women, dependent children, vulnerable people (e.g. through old age, mental illness, physical disability); and those threatened with homelessness as a result of an emergency. Due to the increased volume of those declaring themselves homeless, particularly those in high need, boroughs’ ability to provide temporary emergency accommodation for young single people is further limited. This is further aggravated by a lack of suitable and available affordable housing supply in London. 

London Councils is concerned that current government policies may exacerbate the homelessness problem in the capital, for example the proposed removal of housing benefit entitlement from some 18-21 year olds. London Councils has also lobbied central government on the proposed freeze of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, which could limit the amount of housing benefit subsidy paid by the local authorities to private renters. If LHA is frozen and, as is likely, the private rented sector becomes increasingly unaffordable, existing tenancies could be destabilised leading to more young people presenting as homeless to councils.

Local authorities have a lead role in helping limit the homelessness problem in London. In my council, Southwark, we had over 500 people approaching the council as homeless in the most recent period - July to September 2015 - and nearly a quarter of those accepted were aged 16-24. Compared with the same period in 2014, we can already see an increase of 111 per cent of 16-24 year old acceptances. If we are to ensure the numbers of young people becoming homeless do not continue to increase, central government must work with boroughs to mitigate homelessness, as well as looking forward to bridge the gap between supply and demand.