1 in 62 young people in the UK faced homelessness in 2023-24. The Youth Homelessness Databank once again underscores the critical importance of having robust and comprehensive data to fully understand the scale and nature of youth homelessness.
As of 2024, there is still no comprehensive, official measurement of the scale of youth homelessness across the United Kingdom bar the annual Centrepoint Youth Homelessness Databank.
Without accurate and comparable national, regional, and local data on both the scale and nature of youth homelessness, it remains challenging to develop effective strategies to address the issue or allocate sufficient funding to provide young people with the support they need.
The Centrepoint Youth Homelessness Databank continues to play a critical role in addressing this data gap by collecting council-level information for England and building a detailed national picture of youth homelessness. This is because it remains the only publicly accessible resource that tracks young people’s journeys through the entire HRA pathway.
This report presents an analysis of data collected by local authorities during the financial year 2023/2024 and evaluates the implementation of the HRA 2017 in its sixth year. It draws on data provided by local authorities in England on the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who sought assistance because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness and examines their progression through council support systems.
The report also updates findings from the previous year, including Centrepoint’s latest estimates on the national scale of youth homelessness.
While the focus is primarily on data collected by councils in England, information from devolved nations is included to provide a full picture of youth homelessness across the United Kingdom.
Centrepoint’s estimates reflect only those young people who have approached their local authorities for assistance. Measuring the extent of hidden homelessness—those who have not sought council support—remains a significant challenge. Furthermore, it is important to recognise that youth homelessness is influenced by factors beyond council-provided services. Issues such as insufficient affordable housing, insecure job markets, inadequate welfare support, and broader social and personal challenges also contribute to the problem.
To effectively combat youth homelessness, the proactive and preventative approach established under the HRA must be expanded to include other services working with young people at risk of homelessness. Collaboration between housing, employment, education, and welfare services is essential to address the root causes of youth homelessness and provide sustainable solutions.