Youth homelessness: Councils refuse support in more than half of cases

More than half of young people who present themselves as homeless or at risk of homelessness do not receive any meaningful support from their local authority, a charity has warned. Research carried out by homelessness charity Centrepoint, based on responses from English councils to Freedom of Information requests, found that 52 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds asking for help because they were either homeless or at risk of homelessness, did not receive any housing support or accommodation. Of those who sought help, 13 per cent were accepted by a council as being homeless and given a right to housing, while 35 per cent received some form of relief support to prevent them becoming homeless. Read more.