Young and homeless with a child: how to get support

You may have seen reports showing that every day families are made homeless, particularly from private rented accommodation. But if you are homeless with a child, the first thing to know is that help and support is available for you so you’re not on your own.

On this page we go through what kind of support there is, what your options are, and the services available to help ensure the health and well-being of both yourself and your child.

If you’re 16 or 17, you can ask social services for help straight away

If you are made homeless, councils in England must help if you are legally homeless or will become homeless in the next eight weeks. There are also various levels of support available for those who are young and homeless in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The support you can access could include general advice, or you may be offered emergency housing and receive help to find longer-term housing. Not everyone is eligible for the same type of help, which will depend on the circumstances that led to you becoming homeless.

Young people who are over 18 and homeless with a child will normally be required to seek help from your local council’s housing department before contacting social services.

How to apply for help from social services

Contact your local councils’ social services department and tell them you’re homeless. Tell them also about any health problems you have. They’ll then assess your need for housing.

If the council have previously referred you to social services there’s no need to apply for help, but you can still ask them to do a needs assessment.

Preparing for your needs assessment

You can choose how you want your needs and your child’s to be assessed.
For example, it can be done by:

• completing a form
• a telephone interview
• having a face to face meeting with a social worker

You may need to get evidence of your situation in advance of the assessment. You will need to send the information to your local council’s social services office or take it to the assessment, if possible.

You could, for example, get a letter from your doctor or support worker to explain how not getting housing will affect you and your household. You can send evidence to your local social services office after the assessment if you can’t get it before.

Social services will probably ask for further evidence of your needs or your child’s from your doctor or other people who know you. They’ll need your agreement for this.

The assessment should be done within 45 working days of you requesting it. (If it takes longer, social services must explain why.) If a decision is made to provide you with housing, you’ll be told in writing.

If the housing you’re offered is unsuitable, explain to social services why you think it’s unsuitable and ask for alternative accommodation.

You may need to provide evidence of why you think it’s unsuitable. For instance if it would be harmful to your health or your child’s, get a letter from your doctor explaining why.

If social services won’t give you somewhere else to stay, ask your nearest Citizens Advice to put you in touch with a solicitor.

If social services don’t offer you housing, they must give you a clear reason for their decision, but they’ll usually also give you further information on finding somewhere to live.

Benefits entitlement for people facing homelessness with children

Universal credit. This is usually paid each month and is an important benefit if you’re homeless, out of work or on a low income, and aged 18 or over.

You may be entitled to additional Universal Credit payments if you are homeless with a child, have housing costs or have a health condition or disability.

To make an application for Universal Credit, you’ll need to provide information such as your address (or a care address), your email, phone, bank account, and evidence of your identity. Your local job centre or Citizen’s Advice will help you to set up an email address.

If you have no form of ID, simply get in touch with the Universal Credit helpline and they’ll help you make your claim.

Housing support

As Universal Credit is the payment that replaced housing benefit, any costs for housing will be included in your Universal Credit payments. The amount you receive will depend on where you are living, and will be lower if you’re sleeping rough.

Additional support for homeless young people with children.

At YMCA we’re proud to be supporting children, young people and parents all year round.

Creating positive outcomes with children and young people in their communities, and support for families with nursery, day care, holiday and year-round programmes.

The right start in life is crucial for a person’s long-term development, which is why YMCA works with people from birth through to adulthood, supporting individuals and families to flourish.

YMCA collectively works with 166,039 young people, children, parents and carers to provide the best possible start in life.

Listed below are the types of services we offer. To find out about services and activities close to you, please contact your local YMCA.

• Crèches
• Nurseries and children’s centres
• Before and after school clubs
• Holiday clubs and camps
• School activity programmes
• Youth work
• Respite for young carers
• Parenting programmes
• Family mediation