This report captures the first year of learning in a three-year evaluation of the initiative, drawing on interviews with 19 stakeholders and analysis of the first year of Upstream surveys.
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 challenges. This can in turn lead to a young person being made to leave or choosing to leave home before they are ready to.
This research explores the barriers young people face in securing stable housing. Our 2023-24 Move On report is the first iteration of a multi-year research project exploring the accessibility and affordability of housing for young people who have experienced homelessness.
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 disincentive to work due to the way the welfare system is configured.
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 found that this is not happening in practice, with only 67 percent of the young people who approached their local authority in England in the financial year 2023/24 receiving an assessment.
