23,000 young people in England face homelessness this Christmas

Almost 23,000 young people could face homelessness this Christmas across England, a youth charity has predicted. The South East, London and the West Midlands are expected to have the highest numbers of 16-24 year-olds enduring this challenge during the winter period, according to Centrepoint.

The charity used its youth homelessness databank, which has been collecting such information and tracking the trends since 2017, to forecast its estimate of 22,800 young people between October and December presenting as or at risk of homeless. Regional breakdowns estimated 4,200 could need help from local authorities in the South East, 2,500 in London and 3,300 in the West Midlands.

The predictions for England are lower than last year’s estimate of around 24,400 young people, and the 29,500 estimate for winter 2022. Centrepoint said the true numbers can often be higher due to so-called hidden homelessness such as sofa-surfing by people who do not present to local authorities as needing accommodation.

The charity also carried out a small survey of 120 people living in Centrepoint services this summer, and found two thirds (66%) felt anxious for their safety because they had nowhere to stay at Christmas. The charity said its snow globe installation on London’s South Bank is intended to be a “powerful” reminder of the struggles homeless young people face.

Doctor Helen Miles, a consultant clinical psychologist who works with the charity, said: “Experiencing homelessness at any age can have a huge and long-lasting impact on a person’s physical and mental health, but young people are particularly vulnerable. The trauma and instability of not having a safe home, family or network to turn to can severely affect a young person’s sense of physical and emotional safety, which can impact on their ability to engage in life opportunities, critical at this age in order to reach their full potential in the future.

“Our snow globe installation on South Bank is a powerful visual representation of some of the hidden struggles homeless young people face, and how important the right support is in enabling them to move on from homelessness for good. Every young person deserves to feel physically and emotionally safe, valued, and hopeful, not just at Christmas, but every day of the year. We hope this installation will inspire greater understanding and action from the wider community.”

Adam Hug, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA), said councils are “doing their best to meet their duties to vulnerable young people at a time when they are under mounting pressure to find suitable homes for an ever-increasing number of people”.

He added: “The chronic shortage of suitable housing across the country means that councils are increasingly having to turn to alternative options for accommodation at a significant cost – there are currently 113,000 households living in temporary accommodation, at a cost to councils of £1.75 billion a year. In order to effectively reduce homelessness and tackle housing waiting lists, councils need the powers and resources to build more of the genuinely affordable homes our communities desperately need.”

A Government spokesperson described the predicted figures as “simply unacceptable” and said they had “inherited record levels of homelessness which is having a devastating impact on young people”.

They added: “This has to change – which is why we are taking urgent action to end homelessness for good. We have introduced an emergency £10 million fund to protect rough sleepers from the cold this winter and in the Budget announced an additional £233 million for homelessness services, taking total spending to nearly £1 billion in 2025-26.”

The freephone Centrepoint helpline is available for people aged 16-25 between Monday and Friday from 9am to 5pm, on 0808 800 0661.

More information is available at www.centrepoint.org.uk.