By Hanna Leppanen
More and more people are becoming homeless in a shift that shows no signs of abating, homeless advocates said today.
Britain has over 320,000 homeless people, of which 86,000 are young, according to the research made by Homeless Link.
Figures have risen by 4% from last year, which is equivalent to 252 people becoming homeless every week.
“We find that most young people find themselves homeless because of a breakdown in family relationships. Nevertheless, young people are being forced into homelessness because they cannot afford to rent anywhere, not even a room in a shared house,” says Alfonso Redondo, Senior Communications Officer of Alone in London, based in the borough.
“Universal Credit should be acting as a safety net to help prevent people from sleeping rough.“
Islington Council is one of the councils fighting against homelessness, and they are working with multiple community groups and charities to help people who are sleeping rough.
Alone in London is a service working with Islington Council providing support to young people who are at risk of homelessness. Last year they helped over 3,000 people through their services which include providing information about different accommodations, helping to claim benefit entitlements and introducing young people to other services needed.
According to the research, 50% of young people sleeping rough are men and 45% women, with the remaining 5% being unspecified gender. The number of women is probably higher because women are more vulnerable when they are homeless and often purposely remain hidden.
“You take more risks when you are cold and in a vulnerable situation. I have crashed on people’s floors and been in situations that I wouldn’t put myself anymore, just because I was desperate and didn’t want to sleep on the street alone,” says Amy, 22, who became homeless after getting into financial trouble when she was 18.
Many young people stay in temporary accommodation because they are not considered to be in priority need. Almost half are facing homelessness because family relationships break down, and 92% were affected by delayed payments under Universal Credit.
Lack of employment opportunities, skills, experience and confidence are also one of the most significant factors contributing to young people’s homelessness numbers. 44% of them are not in education, employment or training.
“I didn’t know who to turn to when I had trouble with money and when I finally went to the council, they had trouble finding me an accommodation where I could go as a woman. I am now in temporary accommodation, but many things could have been avoided if I would have had more information. That’s why I think it’s important to teach these things in school and spread more awareness,” Amy continues.
Leave a Reply