UK Youth: Lost, Forgotten & Homeless

LONDON, August 31, 2011 -

A new report from Get Connected, the UK’s confidential helpline service for under 25s, reveals the biggest concern facing young people today is housing. This contradicts the government’s own report published last April, which showed an optimistic outlook for both housing and unemployment this year[1]. As unemployment rises once more[2], is the UK about to see record levels of young people living on the streets? www.getconnected.org

Get Connected is the free, confidential helpline service that finds help for children and young people under 25 in the UK for any problem. Get Connected’s latest Quarter 2 Report has identified a very worrying trend, which clearly shows that young people consider housing to be the most serious problem they face, accounting for 17% of all contacts to Get Connected in April-June 2011 - up over 30% on the previous quarter.

Get Connected’s report correlates with the recent report by the University of York and Heriot-Watt University, commissioned by Centrepoint, which shows an increase in homelessness among 16-25 year olds; a rise of around 5,000 since 2008[3]. This is also reflected in Shelter’s recent findings:

Evidently, housing is a dominant issue for young people today. While unemployment fell in April by 26,000 for the first time since last autumn[1], the latest figures published in August show unemployment has risen again by 38,000 to 2.49 million in the three months to June[2]. The youth unemployment rate is 20.2%. The total number of unemployed 16-17 year olds has risen by 14,000 to 218,000 in 2011, the highest since records began in 1992. Almost 1 million 18-24 year oldsare now unemployed[2]. Get Connected observes that unemployment causes immense financial and psychological strain, particularly on young people, increasing a real fear and likelihood of homelessness.

Moreover, Get Connected is worried that proposed governmentcuts of over £2 billion to housing benefits over the next few years will seriously exacerbate the situation. Research published by Shelter confirms that: ‘54,000 children will be in households left with less than £100 a week‘ due to government cuts[4]. With housing maintenance costs and rents rising, and parents themselves struggling to make ends meet, our young people are in very real danger of being literally left out in the cold. Homelessnessis already a reality for many young people. Exact statistics of youth homelessness are very difficult to assess, leading to thousands of young people slipping through the social services’ safety net.

Centrepoint‘s latest report, published in July, clearly states that with greater provision of specialist services for young people, youth homelessness can be properly combatted[3]. Get Connected’s unique, independent service for young people positions the helpline perfectly to raise awareness of the growing housing crisis facing young people right now. Thesocial cost of mass youth homelessness is simply too high a price to pay.

Sources:

1 Office for National Statistics: ‘Labour Market Statistics’ April 2011 - www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/lmsuk0411.pdf

2 Office of National Statistics: ‘Labour Market Report’ 17 August 2011 - www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=12

3 Centrepoint :’Ending youth homelessness’ July 2011 - www.centrepoint.org.uk/yorkresearch2011

4 Shelter: ‘Child poverty to worsen’ 6 September 2010 - england.shelter.org.uk/news/september_2010/child_poverty_to_worsen

Case Studies

ENGLAND (LONDON)

27% of housing related contacts to Get Connected were from London. Within this, Southwark, Lewisham, Hammersmith & Fulham, Islington and Haringey had the highest number. The same five boroughs all have high unemployment as well: the Office for National Statistics showed that while on average 8.5% of Londoners were unemployed, unemployment was 9-11% in these five boroughs, suggesting a link between the two statistics.

Justin, 21, London, had been living rough in a tent for three weeks after he was unable to stay with friends any longer. Following a vicious attack which put him in hospital, he was scared to return to his tent and potentially be exposed to violence again. He contacted Get Connected for free support, where he was able to explore a range of options and was assisted in finding shelter for the night.

SCOTLAND (GLASGOW)

Scotland has suffered a decade of youth unemployment and recent figures show that 40,000 18-24 year olds in Scotland are claiming Job Seekers Allowance*. This figure has increased from 36,900 in December 2010 and unemployment within Scotland remains higher than the rest of the UK. Get Connected’s statistics highlight this problem, showing an increase in the number of young people with housing related issues. Get Connected received the most calls in Scotland from conurbations such as Glasgow, Aberdeen and Motherwell.

Jason, 17, Scotland, was thrown out of his home after a fight with his father. Jason sat worried and alone at a train station with no money and nowhere to sleep. He contacted Get Connected for free support, where he was able to explore a range of options and was assisted in finding shelter for the night.

*www.scottishlabour.org.uk March 2011

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For more information and interviews, please contact:

Sophie Munro-Faure at JDi on +44(0)20-8563-1414.
Email: sophie.munro-faure@jdi.co.uk

Get Connected Helpline.
Head Office: PO Box 51719, London, NW1 5UH.
www.getconnected.org