Our most recent Youth Homelessness Databank showed that in 2024-2025, over a third of young people who presented to their local authority for support did not receive one.
Every young person in England who presents to their local authority for support because they are homeless or at risk of homelessness is entitled to an assessment under the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) 2017. However, our most recent Youth Homelessness Databank showed that in the final year 2024-2025, over a third of young people who presented to their local authority for support did not receive one.
Financial year 2024-2025 is the third year that Centrepoint has commissioned WPI Economics to calculate the additional funding that local authorities would need to meet their obligations to all young people who present for housing and homelessness support under the HRA. This includes a homelessness assessment and, if eligible, a prevention, relief, or main housing duty.
In FY 2024-2025 there was a slight increase in the estimated number of unassessed cases, from 40,797 to 40,971. This figure is a 5 per cent increase in unassessed cases from FY 2022-2023, where 39,183 young people went unassessed.
The latest Youth Homelessness Databank found that only 65% of young people who reached out for housing and homelessness support received an assessment in FY 2024-2025. As a result, many young people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness have been denied the assessments they were legally entitled to and consequently missed out on the support they may have required.
The latest WPI analysis show that in FY 2024-2025, local authorities experienced a combined shortfall in funding of £325 million, compared to what they would have needed to deliver homelessness support to every young person who reached out to them.
Recommendations
- The Government should provide sufficient funding to local authorities in England to ensure that all young people who report to homelessness support services receive an assessment and support if required.
This year’s analysis highlights areas like Yorkshire, the North East and North West where the number of unassessed cases has risen. The Government’s commitment to boost spend on homelessness support to £3.5 billion is welcomed, as is its plan to protect prevention and relief activities through diverting temporary accommodation funding away from the Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG).
Once the proposed funding structures have been implemented, the Government should seek to ensure sufficient resources is provided to local authorities across all regions based on reviews of need, including that of young people.
Additionally, the Government should review the 49 per cent ringfence introduced for the HPG on an annual basis based on local need and local authorities’ expenditure returns on HPG spending.
It should also request detail from local authorities on HPG spend across age groups. This can ensure the proposed ringfence is sufficient for local authorities to fulfil prevention and relief duties to all young people who require support.
- As our research demonstrates a rising number of young people requiring homelessness assessments and housing support, the Government should undertake a formal review into youth homelessness assessment rates by councils in England.
This review should look at how consistent, accurate and aligned local authorities’ statutory interpretation of legal requirements is. It should also explore the operational, resource, and systemic barriers councils face in delivering the HRA in practice.
- We welcome the Government’s National Plan to End Homelessness commitment to including a dedicated youth chapter within the Homelessness Code of Guidance, as well as its plan to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit. These are positive steps forward to support local authorities.
This guidance should clearly outline the obligations local authorities have to supply assessments and pathways out of homelessness for young people. Both the chapter and toolkit should take into account young people’s lived experiences and utilise existing expertise and guidance within the youth homelessness sector to ensure the viewpoints of young people are represented.
Providing sufficient funding for assessments and HRA duties and providing clear guidance of how to carry them out can ensure that no young person is left out from support.