MORE than 118,000 young people aged 16 to 24 in Britain faced homelessness last year, charity Centrepoint revealed today.

The number of those approaching councils for help because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness in the financial year 2023-24 rose by 10 per cent from 2022-23. England saw the sharpest increase, at 12 per cent.

Presentations of homelessness in the south-west increased by 53 per cent, jumping from 9,075 in 2022-23 to 13,845 in 2023-24.

Centrepoint estimates that around a third of young people facing homelessness are not receiving adequate attention, with only 67 per cent being assessed.

While not every case will meet the threshold for assessment, research from Centrepoint found that hundreds of homeless young people were wrongly turned away in the last year by local authorities, who have a legal duty to assess them.

Centrepoint director of policy Balbir Kaur Chatrik called the rise staggering, saying: “This increase would be difficult to manage in favourable conditions but, with councils already struggling to deliver services, it’s hardly surprising they can’t cope with the level of demand we are now seeing.

“This leads to decisions on who to assess and support being taken that could in some cases be illegal and are no doubt putting very vulnerable young people’s lives at risk.

“Every week the Centrepoint Helpline hears from young people in desperate situations, including those who are pregnant of fleeing domestic abuse, who are not even getting the chance to talk to the council, let alone find the support they so clearly need.

“Most right-thinking people would expect councils to protect people in those circumstances from homelessness, let alone prevent them from sleeping on the streets, but housing officers seem to have little option but to ignore them.”

Ms Kaur Chatrik said that, while illegal, this was happening as a “direct consequence of the pressure councils are under.”

She said only central government “has the power to intervene,” adding: “Government ministers will rightly claim they inherited this crisis — and they are taking positive steps towards addressing it — but we are now in desperate need of leadership and urgent action. 

“This is not just about funding but proper oversight from government that ensures councils are doing their job — and that the most vulnerable young people are not left out.” 

Barnardo's chief executive Lynn Perry said: “These statistics reveal the sad truth that far too many young people don’t have a safe and stable home to start their adult lives.

“This is particularly true for young people leaving foster care or a children’s home — we’ve seen a 54 per cent rise in homelessness among young care leavers over the last five years.

“That’s why we’re urging the government to make it a requirement for local authorities to run a rent guarantor and rent deposit scheme. This will make it easier for young people who have grown up in care to find and secure a home as they embark on their adult lives.”

A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We are taking urgent and decisive action to end homelessness for good, including committing £1bn in additional support for homelessness services and address the use of emergency accommodation.

“We’re talking the root causes of homelessness, committing in our Plan for Change to build 1.5 million new homes, which includes building the social and affordable homes this country needs, and are changing the law to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions – immediately tackling one of the leading causes of homelessness.”