86,000 young people in the UK homeless or at risk as councils struggle to meet demand

At least 86,000 young people across the UK are estimated to have sought help from local authorities in 2016-2017 because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness, according to new research released by Centrepoint.

The LGA says the findings further reinforce its ‘crucial’ case for councils being able to borrow to build new homes and adapt welfare reforms to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.

Centrepoint bases its figures on 217 Freedom of Information responses from local authorities in England, a robust estimate for the 109 that did not provide this data, and data from the devolved nations.

The figure is acknowledged as likely to be a significant underestimate of the total scale of youth homelessness, as it does not include young people who sought help from other networks such as charities, family and friends.

Centrepoint says its findings – from data collected at local authority level but not published by government – show that tens of thousands of young people were denied a proper assessment of their needs, with the numbers suggesting councils will not be able to meet the obligations of the government’s new flagship homelessness legislation introduced last month.

Given the figures, Centrepoint says the Homelessness Reduction Act will obligate councils to make as many as 45,000 additional assessments just to meet their obligations to 16 to 25-year-olds.

With many councils already having to raid their reserves, Centrepoint are worried that councils simply do not have the resources to meet the level of demand, putting young people at risk.

Among the councils that provided all the information requested:

• Only a third (33%) of young people who went to their council were given a documented assessment
• Just 13% were accepted as statutory homeless, meaning they were owed the right to housing
• 58% of young people who asked for help were not recorded as receiving any meaningful support
• A young person’s family refusing to accommodate them was the biggest reason for homelessness among 16 to 24-year-olds, accounting for 38% of cases where the reason was reported.

Up until now, there has been no requirement for councils to record the support offered to young people not accepted as statutory homeless.

Under the Homelessness Reduction Act – which came into force last month – councils are now legally obliged to assess anyone eligible who is facing homelessness, and to provide and record more meaningful assistance.

This means councils in England will be obliged to assess as many as 45,000 more 16 to 24-year-olds each year.

The full figure for all age groups is likely to be much higher still, and Centrepoint is concerned that councils will struggle to fulfil this new duty without significant additional resources.

While the new act should in theory ensure that every young person who asks for help receives an assessment, under English law councils still only have a duty to house those young people who meet the narrow definition known as ‘priority need’.

This includes those who are pregnant or have dependent children; those fleeing violence; and those with a serious mental or physical health condition.

With many stretched councils already raiding their reserves to make ends meet, homeless young people who do not meet this criteria still have no guarantee of being housed.

The data also raises worrying questions about what happened to the majority of young people who did not receive an assessment in 2016-17.

A young person’s vulnerability is not always obvious, and those who were not assessed could be left at risk of street homelessness or violence and abuse where they are staying.

Paul Noblet, head of public affairs at Centrepoint, said: “These figures lift the lid on the hidden crisis of youth homelessness in the UK – tens of thousands of young people are asking for help, with many denied proper housing assessments and in some cases their legal right to housing.

“The Homelessness Reduction Act is a step in the right direction, but it is absolutely vital that central government provides adequate funding to allow councils to fulfil their new duties and carry out tens of thousands of additional assessments.

“If demand for help continues to far outstrip the support councils are able to provide, vulnerable young people will continue being left to face desperate choices, like whether to stay at home and risk violence or take their chances on the streets.”

Cllr Martin Tett, LGA housing spokesman, said councils are currently housing more than 77,000 homeless families with over 120,000 homeless children in temporary accommodation.

“Whilst they are doing all they can to help families facing homelessness it’s essential that the new Homelessness Reduction Act duties on councils are fully funded.

“We also need to see the full range of public bodies to cooperate with councils in addressing homelessness, and in the long-term, it’s crucial that all councils are able to borrow to build new homes and adapt welfare reforms to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place,” he said.

Source: 24housing.co.uk