Big Spike in Homeless Young Peeps
Youth Homelessness. The situation in the UK is getting serious as charities sound the alarm on a massive increase in homeless young people since Christmas. The New Horizon Youth Centre in London spilled the beans, revealing they hit a record in the first week of January with loads of young people reaching out for help. Akt, a charity supporting homeless LGBTQ+ young people, also chimed in, noting more referrals in a month than usual. Roundabout in Sheffield and YMCA Trinity in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk are reporting the same troubling trend.
Charities Team Up: #PlanForThe136k
A bunch of 120 charities joined forces under #PlanForThe136k, pointing to an estimate of 136,000 homeless young people in 2023. They’re throwing shade at the government, demanding a solid plan to put an end to youth homelessness. Plus, they’re rallying regular folks to get on board by supporting a petition to push ministers to take action.
Numbers Keep Climbing: Not Cool
Centrepoint charity estimated about 135,800 young people sought council help for homelessness in 2022-23. Shelter already warned last month that an extra 40,000 people of all ages would be homeless at Christmas. But here’s the real kicker – there’s major concern about the numbers spiking even more since then.
Phil Kerry from New Horizon Drops Truth Bombs
Phil Kerry, the top dog at the New Horizon centre, didn’t sugarcoat it, saying, “We can see this is spiraling rapidly.” By the start of last week, the center had seen a whopping 142 people, way more than their usual weekly average of 63.
Tough Times for Homeless Youth
Life’s extra tough for homeless young people. Phil Kerry pointed out they have fewer resources because those under 23 make less on the minimum wage, and those under 25 get lower benefit payments. The New Horizon center is facing a wild level of need with basically no good options on the table.
Special Help for LGBTQ+ Folks in High Demand
Hayley Speed at Akt shouted out the high demand for their LGBTQ+ youth services. Referrals in London were off the charts in the first week of January, hitting double their usual weekly average. It’s clear there’s a serious need for targeted support for this crew.
Local Heroes Going All Out
In South Yorkshire, Roundabout’s Sheffield spot is in overdrive, with CEO Ben Keegan saying it’s the busiest it’s ever been. They even turned some old student digs into housing to keep up with the growing demand from desperate young people. And this surge comes on top of a 21% increase in homeless youth numbers last year, reaching 1,876.
YMCA Trinity, doing their thing in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and Suffolk, is singing the same tune. Chief exec Jon Martin talked about the rising demand for their youth housing services, fueled by all kinds of issues like leaving the care system, family breakups, and tough living situations.