1. Youth Homelessness: What works? Dr Beth Watts
Research Fellow, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

3. Systematic disadvantage and deteriorating fortunes
Life stage: crucial and challenging developmental stage in the life-course
Labour market: precarious employment, low wages, high unemployment, in-work poverty
Housing market: access challenges across tenures, affordability, insecurity, delayed independence
Welfare system: young people’s status as citizens with access to welfare support on equal terms as other age groups substantially eroded

4. Young people 3x more likely to have experienced homelessness in last 5 years than overall population

5. Young people more likely to be in poverty than any other age group

6. Policy context
Southwark (09), Johnson v. Solihull (15), Homelessness Reduction Bill
Housing Options (03), Positive Pathway model (now in 2/3 LAs)
‘Staying Put’ arrangements and extension of after care support
Investment programmes, including targeting youth homelessness
Restrictions to welfare entitlements of young people
42% LAs say they lack adequate tools to prevent youth homelessness
18-24 year olds 3rd most difficult group to provide meaningful assistance to

7. Benefit sanctions and conditionality=

8. Statutory homeless acceptances (England)

9. Scale 13,000 statutory acceptances of YP headed household in 2015/16…
Estimated 64,000 young people in England (83,000 UK wide) in touch with homelessness services in 2013/14
830 people aged 25 or under seen rough sleeping in London in 2015/16, slight decrease on 2014/15 figures, which were up 40% since 2011/12
Scale of hidden youth homelessness unclear – some very high estimates, household formation among YP down (particularly in SE/London); overcrowding among YP up across GB, higher numbers of YP living at home

10. Causes, risk factors and profile
Key underpinning role of poverty
Relationship breakdown primary immediate cause
Risk factors:
Some indications that increasing proportion of young homeless have complex needs
Care (‘edge of care’) leaver
Truanting/exclusion from school; left with no qualifications;
abuse/neglect or ran away as a child
domestic violence, mental health or substance issues in family home
young offenders;
learning disabilities;
LGBT

11. St Basils Positive Pathway model
Prevention
Accommodation options
Employment

12. The Geelong Project, Australia.
(1) Personalised prevention and early help
The Geelong Project, Australia.
Early intervention place-based model of collective impact. Schools and youth services work to common vision sharing data and outcome measures.
Population screening for risk (in schools)
Referral to support
Active monitoring > short term support, > wrap-around youth focused and family centred case management
Evaluation ongoing, initial indications of significant fall in young people accessing youth homelessness services
Improved identification of those at risk via ‘red flags’ by/in schools, health services, youth services, Job Centres, police, social care
Whole-family interventions
Mediation: encouraging but still limited evidence
Family Intervention/Support Projects: strong evidence from UK/US on reducing ASB, offending, substance misuse, what about homelessness?

13. (2) Non-institutional, poverty-informed accommodation options
Affordable: tackle poverty/unemployment trap of current models
Secure: address pitfalls of ‘transitional’ models; improve PRS
Non-institutional: mainstream housing not separate institutions
Nightstop, Supported Lodgings. Clear evidence that SL achieves better outcomes than ‘congregate’ models
Sharing : Peer Landlords (all age), Thames Reach (evaluated), Supportive Flatmates (YP), Rock Trust.
Appropriate support:
‘Light touch’ support options to keep rent affordable where appropriate
Intensive, flexible support for those with complex needs e.g. Housing First for Youth, Supported Lodgings ‘plus’/fostering models, small scale Psychologically Informed supported accommodation =

14. (4) Re-integrative employment support
Integration of youth homelessness and employment provision
Build partnerships with local employers to promote access to supported opportunities in real workplaces
St Basil’s Live and Work in Birmingham and OVO/IP1625 Future Builders in Bristol
Pre- and in-work support
Job coaches: improve re-integration (x3.7) and job-sustainment; particularly effective with year olds.
Individual Placement and Support: targets those with complex needs; ‘place, support and train’, strong evidence base
Asset-based approach

15. 5 principles to inform responses to those facing poverty combined with complex needs
Personalisation: open-ended, persistent, flexible and co-ordinated support. ‘Whole-person’ ‘whole-family’ approaches which take into account underlying causes of complex needs and challenging behaviours
Deinstitutionalisation: as far as possible, people should have the option of staying in mainstream housing, rather than separate institutions
Reintegration: enabling people to go to work and other ordinary social settings
Asset-based: interventions focusing on an individual’s strengths
Poverty-informed: dealing with the financial and material hardship that people face, not just their social or personal needs or behavioural issues