1. Youth homelessness Context, scale and priorities for the sector
Dr Beth Watts
Research Fellow, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

2. Key sources

3. Context: Young people systematically disadvantaged across labour and housing market and within the welfare system
Labour market
Unemployment 3x overall rate; 5x more likely to be on zero-hours contract; excluded from National Living Wage; youth poverty higher and increasing faster than for older age groups; under 25s at most (relative) risk of experiencing destitution
Housing market
Challenges accessing all tenures; living at home for longer; more likely to be sharing and more likely to live in high rent, insecure PRS; PRS now key driver of homelessness
Welfare system
Young people’s status as citizens with access to welfare support on equal terms as working age adults in process of dramatic erosion
Via central government - HB cuts targeting year olds and < 35 year olds; LA prioritisation - budget cuts heavily impacted youth services; and local discretion - YP at far greater risk of being sanctioned, stricter conditionality regime from 2017
SAR, LHA rates/caps and sanctions having biggest negative impact on (youth) homelessness

4. Benefit sanctions and conditionality
Homeless service users 2x as likely to be sanctioned as other JSA claimants; result of systemic and personal barriers to compliance, not wilful non-compliance; homeless easements rarely utilised (Batty et al, 2015)

5. Youth homelessness policy
Rehousing duty for ‘priority’ groups; Johnson vs. Solihull; Southwark Judgement; ‘Staying Put’ arrangements
Positive story on prevention
Investment programmes, including several targeting youth homelessness but…
42% LAs still don’t feel they have adequate tools to prevent homelessness of young people in their local area
LAs report often finding it difficult to provide meaningful assistance to: (1) Single people aged (54%) (2) Households with complex needs (51%) and (3) non-care leaver year olds (44%)
60% of providers report being unable to assist some young people because needs to high, or NRPF; 50% because violent/high risk or limited capacity, 40% because no local connection

6. Scale and trends
Significant decline in levels of statutory youth homelessness since 2008/09 reflecting emphasis on prevention – by 38% in England
Homeless Link’s annual survey, 68% of providers reported seeing more young homeless people in 2015 (compared to 45% last year)
Recent estimate that 83,000 young people in touch with homelessness services across UK in 2013/14, (75,000 in 2006/7 and 78-80,000 in 2008/9)
year olds slept rough in London in 2014/15, up 40% since 2011/12 (only 9 under 18s); rough sleeping across England up 30% over last year and doubled since 2010
Hidden homelessness: household formation among year olds down (particularly in SE/London); overcrowding among 16-24s up across GB
86% LAs think homelessness among year olds will increase as a result of changes announced in Summer Budget, 60% that it will also increase among year olds

7. Risk factors for youth homelessness
Care leaver; abuse/neglect or ran away as a child; domestic violence, mental health or substance issues in family home; truanting or excluded from school; left school with no qualifications; learning disabilities; LGBT; young offenders
Key role of poverty – association between young age and homelessness accounted for by young people’s disproportionate experience of poverty
“as ever, the key factor in whether a young person becomes homeless is around financial inequalities and financial deprivation… the majority of young people who go through homelessness ultimately are under privileged”

8. Homelessness and income

9. The complex needs challenge
Over half of young people living in homeless accommodation have complex needs; a third mental health problems (up 11% on 2014); over half of providers unable to help some young people because too violent/high risk
A quarter of those experiencing severe and multiple deprivation (combination of homelessness, offending and/or substance misuse) under 25 (almost 150,000 young people)
Why increasing? Improved awareness; stricter targeting; more effective prevention; but also reduction services, accessed later; move on harder so developing more complex needs during homelessness
Average stay of 16 months in homelessness organisations before move on, twice that in 2014
Severe and multiple deprivation estimated to cost £10.1bn per year

10. Priorities for the sector
Effectively target prevention efforts in light of very clear ‘red flags’ regarding young people at most risk
Targeted versus universal school-based prevention
Uptake and effectiveness of mediation services
Whole-family interventions and support
Access to respite/time-out emergency accommodation
Provide good quality genuinely affordable accommodation
At rents that won’t lock young people into homelessness and/or unemployment; financial models that enable low rent; huge but crucial challenge as welfare safety net weakens
Minimise support costs, minimise capital/building costs, bring together funding streams, investors and ‘in kind’ contributions, demonstrate cost-effectiveness
Stable accommodation options for young people with complex needs, Housing First for young people
Improve the employment offer for young homeless people
Closer partnerships with mainstream employers
Provision of pre- and in-work support

11. Gaps in the evidence base
Accurate data, comparable over time, on scale of youth homelessness
Effectiveness of different approaches to prevention inc. mediation, conciliation and whole-family/parenting support
What are key components of successful early intervention?
Effectiveness of accommodation options, including congregate versus non-congregate (community hosting/scatter site) models
Which models minimise impacts of negative peer pressure; ‘institutionalisation’; loss of independent living skills; work disincentive effects?
Long-term well-being (financial/psychological) of adults who experienced youth homelessness
Which interventions mitigate known association between experiencing homelessness and poor outcomes later in life (poverty, debt, SMD etc.)?