Homeless Youth: “Only A Fifth Of Private Landlords Would Consider Letting To Them”
A hidden housing crisis is unfolding across the UK and it’s leaving thousands of young people at risk of homelessness, new research has revealed.
A study by Centrepoint has found people aged 18 to 39 are more likely than any generation before them to have experienced homelessness, reports The Metro. The cost of living independently is higher, meaning young people are more reliant on the bank of mum and dad. More young people are being forced into the private rented sector and it’s leading to much higher housing costs in the long term.
But it’s so much more difficult for vulnerable homeless people who do not have the support of a family to rely on. Over the past 50 years, the number of people who have been homeless, sofa-surfed or stayed somewhere they felt unsafe before they were 25 has more than doubled from 12 per cent to 26 per cent.
In 2017/18 an estimated 103,000 young people in the UK approached their local authority for help because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness. More than a third of young people, aged 18 to 29, spend more than half their income on housing costs when they first move out. Almost all people now in their sixties (97%) had an income that covered their housing costs when they first left home. But a quarter (23%) of young people today do not have enough income to cover their housing costs.
While the cost of housing has increased, incomes have not kept pace. Finding an affordable place to live is a challenge for most young people, but for homeless young people it is almost impossible. Almost half (46%) of young people today moved into private rented accommodation when they first left home, compared to 25% of those now in their sixties. Only 8% of young people’s first move was into a home they own, while 27% of people now in their sixties did so when they first moved out.
The average millennial spends an estimated £44,000 more on rent than the average baby boomer did. Because housing costs are taking up a much greater proportion of incomes, more young people have their options restricted. This trend is hugely concerning for homeless young people. With social housing in decline, more and more young people in this situation are reliant on the private sector, but only a fifth of private landlords would consider letting to them, according to Centrepoint.
The proportion of young people moving back home after moving out has doubled over the past 50 years, from 24% to 48%. Saving money is the number one reason (31%) behind this, while the high cost of housing is a key driver of this shift towards moving back home. Homeless young people rarely have this option as family relationship breakdown is the single biggest cause of youth homelessness among the young people being supported by Centrepoint. The study also found how young women (38%) today are twice as likely to return home after graduation than young men (18%).
Young people across the country are increasingly reliant on their family for financial support and housing. One in five young people are having their rent paid by someone else when they first move out. This has jumped from 1% to 20% over the last 50 years. But for homeless young people, they do not have this safety net and are even more reliant on support with housing costs.
Commenting on Centrepoint’s study, housing and homelessness minister Heather Wheeler said the government is ‘determined’ to end rough sleeping. She said: “No one should spend their life on the streets, and our rough sleeping initiative is providing an estimated 2,600 more bed spaces and 750 additional specialist support staff this year helping us to end rough sleeping once and for all.”
