News

Councils, charities and corporations discussed the current obstacles facing young homeless people who want to work during the roundtable event on Centrepoint’s latest research.

The upcoming general election on 4th July will impact young people facing homelessness in many ways. Parties committing to implement policies increasing social housing, improving access to benefits and promoting employment will determine whether young people break the cycle of homelessness and lead meaningful lives.

Our latest research, conducted by WPI Economics, has found that local authorities in England are facing a shocking £332 million annual shortfall in youth homelessness funding.

Letter to Home Secretary James Cleverly on Government proposals to criminalise rough sleeping

With youth homelessness at an all-time high, the organisations behind the #PlanForThe136k coalition welcome the Government’s commitment to ending homelessness in all its forms but their response misses the urgency of the matter and it misses the point. In the 27 days we have waited for a response, more than 10,000 young people may have approached their council as homeless in line with the latest youth homelessness figures.

Ministers say the plans, currently racing through parliament as part of the Criminal Justice Bill, will give police and local authorities the ‘tools’ they need ‘in situations where those sleeping rough are causing damage, disruption and distress’. Centrepoint is worried this open-ended nature of ‘disruption and distress’ could leave the new laws open to abuse.

We've written an open letter to the Home Secretary Suella Braverman, alongside 14 other organisations, calling on the government to urgently reconsider proposals to criminalise the use of tents by people sleeping rough.

Homeless young people are ready to move on and live independently but they’re being held back by the housing crisis.

Centrepoint are calling on the Government to use the Spring Budget to level up the social security system for homeless young people.

Our research estimates that 129,000 young people approached their council because they were homeless or at risk in the financial year 2021/2022.

More than 46,000 young women presented to their local authority as they were homeless or at risk of homelessness last year. We know the main drivers for homelessness can be different for women, as are their experiences of support. Our Policy and Research Assistant talks us through her findings of our latest report.

We explore some of the ways in which young people facing homelessness are made even more vulnerable through public spending, and the steps that can be taken to give them the support they need.