We focus on areas of policy including housing, family and health. We also campaign to ensure homeless young people are getting the right support when it comes to their benefits and personal finance, education, skills and employment opportunities.
Policy and research
Centrepoint campaigns to influence national and local government policy that affects homeless young people.
The scale of youth homelessness across the UK
We collect local data from across the UK on the scale of youth homelessness. This research provides an insight into the type of interactions young people are having with their local councils and what support is being offered.
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42 %42% have issues with their mental health
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14 %14% are refugees
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28 %28% have been living in care
Find out about our policy work on our blog
Young people turned away - councils faced shortfall of at least £400 million
Councils in England faced a shortfall of £400 million in 2023-2024 forcing many of them to turn away young people facing homelessness without the assessment they are legally entitled to.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Key Takeaways from Centrepoint’s Youth Homelessness Databank Launch
On 10 February, Centrepoint hosted a Parliamentary Launch Event to unveil its latest findings from the 2025 Databank. The event brought together policymakers, housing experts, and young people with lived experience to discuss the 118,134…
The new Government must make work pay for young homeless people
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.
Email your MP
Youth homelessness is continuing to climb. We are calling on the Government to commit to a proper strategy to tackle youth homelessness, by supporting the recommendations from our Databank report.
Research reports and policy briefings
Explore our reports and briefings on the key issues affecting homeless young people and that ways in which Centrepoint is working to bring about change.
No young person left out: Estimating the local authority funding needs to support young people experiencing homelessness
Under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, everyone in England approaching their local authority for help because they are homeless or at risk of homelessness is entitled to an assessment. Unfortunately, Centrepoint’s Databank research has…
Making work pay in supported accommodation
Supported housing exists to help people to live as independently as possible, helping improve their quality of life, their well-being, their health, and their employment prospects. Yet people in supported housing face a specific barrier and…
Waiting for the next blow-up: Family breakdown and youth homelessness
Family breakdown is the main cause of youth homelessness. Our research shows that while conflict happens in all families and is triggered by similar topics, it is far more likely to escalate in households that are already facing multiple…