Youth homelessness is rising in London as the latest data reveals there was a 10 percent increase in the number of young people sleeping rough.
The latest data from Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) report shows that homelessness is still increasing in the capital, and a large proportion of that increase are aged 18-25.
From October to December 2024 there was a 5% increase in the total number of people sleeping rough in London, compared to the same period last year, and 34% of the recorded homeless in the run up to Christmas were under 35 years old.
Youth homelessness charity Depaul UK‘s CEO Alexia Murphy said: “The government’s promised long-term plan to get back on track to ending homelessness cannot come soon enough.
“We urgently need funding for more homes with support for people sleeping rough.
“This data is deeply concerning. It shows yet another rise in the number of rough sleepers living in the capital, and behind each number is someone enduring the dangers, isolation, and hardship of life sleeping rough.”
In addition, there was a 10 per cent increase in the number of young people (18-25) sleeping rough compared to the same period last year.
Nearly half of those rough sleeping recorded by outreach teams were doing so for the first time in their lives.
The Mayor of London has pledged to end homelessness in the capital by 2030.
Additionally, at the beginning of January, the Labour government committed a further £30 million in funding to tackle homelessness.
Previously published figures have been labelled by homeless charities like Crisis as shameful.
Help for those who are homeless can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/if-youre-homeless-at-risk-of-homelessness
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