Homelessness
Helping homeless young people
If you’re unlucky enough to be one of the large and growing number of young people affected by homelessness, you’ll know only too well how it feels – having no home and nowhere safe to sleep, feeling vulnerable and always tired and scared.
It’s no wonder that so many young people in this position suffer from depression, poor physical health, and other damaging and lasting effects.
This year it is estimated that over 118,00 young people with be at risk of, or will experience, homelessness.
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The causes of youth homelessness
It is a problem with so many possible causes, one of the major ones being family breakdown and arguments with parents. Another common cause is the challenge of having to deal with becoming independent after leaving a situation where you were in care.
Then there are young refugees seeking asylum after coming to the UK as unaccompanied minors, only to find themselves with nowhere permanent to live.
Becoming the subject of violence of one kind or another, either in a family situation or a gang-related one, can also result in being without a safe place to stay.
It’s often the case that young people experiencing homelessness suffer from mental health issues, depression, anxiety, or have problems with substance misuse.
If you’re a young person experiencing homelessness for these or any other reason, where can you go to find some real help?
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Get help with homelessness
Many local YMCAs accept emergency and self-referrals. YMCA England & Wales is actually the largest voluntary provider of supported housing for young people in England and Wales.
Providing nearly 10,000 beds every night, they house and holistically support 20,357 people. Having this support helps these young people to build their lives from a stable base.
Our work
YMCA supports young people in communities all across England and Wales. The support we give to those young people is tailored to their individual needs.
This is why YMCA is so unique – it’s a full package of support for young people. That is why we ask for £12 a month. From the moment they arrive, they’re taken care of. This is made possible with donations from RoomSponsors.
Sign up to become a RoomSponsor today, and we’ll send you regular updates from the young people you’re helping in your area.
Local YMCAs have great ambitions to help tackle the UK’s housing crisis by building new affordable housing tailored to the needs of their local community and young people specifically. However, there are a number of barriers which make it more difficult for local YMCAs to achieve these ambitions.
As well as the generally difficult economic context facing social and affordable housing providers, we have identified a range of challenges from interviews with local YMCAs and other stakeholders. We make six recommendations to the Government and Homes England about actions they can take to
remove these barriers.
If our recommendations are implemented, we are confident that we can enter a new era of housebuilding to equip the UK with the safe, warm, affordable homes that our communities need.
A report exploring the barriers young people in supported accommodation face when trying to move on to independent living.
In supported housing, young people are living away from their families in accommodation with shared facilities. Through support workers, reception staff, meal provision and holistic care, it is designed to be able to help young people settle and prepare themselves for independent living.
The goal is to create stability and establish a sense of purpose of what young people want to do with their lives from a safe base, while also identifying their needs and assessing their progress to move on to independence.
Homelessness Guidance
If you are homeless or if you would like to help someone with a housing need, please read our guidance.
YMCA Help & Advice
Here you’ll find a wealth of advice on matters related to homelessness:
