Homeless young people

Homeless Link has published Young & Homeless 2012. The survey found that reduced benefits for young people were increasing their chances of becoming homeless. 65 per cent of local authorities reported a negative impact on the ability of young people to access private rented accommodation due to the extension of the shared accommodation rate to people under 35. Almost a half of local authorities reported that capping the housing allowance for young people had had a similar impact.

Crisis’s report The Homelessness Monitor: Great Britain 2012 also found that homelessness in all its forms was continuing to rise in England, with cuts to housing benefit, combined with the continuing economic downturn, making more people vulnerable to homelessness. It said that there was much worse to come, particularly for young people and families with children.

The Institute for Public Policy Research has published No Place to Call Home: The social impacts of housing undersupply on young people. It finds evidence that undersupply of housing is holding back the lives of young people and explores the social impact in areas such as career aspirations, major life choices, relationships and professional ambitions. It calls for reforms in house-building and the rented sector.