William Eichler 15 April 2024

Councils face £332m youth homelessness shortfall

Councils face £332m youth homelessness shortfall image
Image: Hubskyi_Mark / Shutterstock.com.

Local authorities in England are facing a £332m annual shortfall in youth homelessness funding, new research has revealed.

The study, conducted by WPI Economics, calculated how much councils would need to meet their obligations under the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) to assess and support the young people who weren’t assessed last year.

Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, who commissioned the research, said that in 2022-23 119,300 young people approached their council and just 65% received an assessment.

WPI Economics said councils would need £332m a year more to ensure all young people facing homelessness could be assessed.

Alicia Walker, head of policy, Research and Campaigns at Centrepoint said: ‘Councils have a legal duty to assess anyone who presents as homeless, but we are deeply concerned that they do not have the means to carry out these duties. It's not good enough that so many young people are not getting the chance of that assessment, let alone accessing support.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Team Leader - Financial Services

Westmorland and Furness Council
£33,366 - £34,314
You will be joining a friendly, welcoming and supportive Finance team. Cumbria / Various
Recuriter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Library and Customer Assistant - WMF3038e

Westmorland and Furness Council
£25,183 (pro rata)
Are you looking for a role where you can make a real difference? Penrith, Cumbria
Recuriter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Lead Compliance Officer - WMF2113e

Westmorland and Furness Council
£55,119 - £57,362
Predominantly a rural county world famous for its stunning scenery Cumbria / Various
Recuriter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Assistant Chef

NHS Orkney
Band 3 (£28,011 - £30,230)
As Scotland’s smallest health board, NHS Orkney is driven by a bold vision Orkney and Shetland
Recuriter: NHS Orkney

Standards, Compliance and Development Manager - Children’s residential provisions

Oxfordshire County Council
£57187.00 - £60485.00
This role will lead on Quality Assurance, Standards development, and Regulatory compliance for Oxfordshire’s residential children’s provision, including the unregulated reforms 2022. The post holder will conduct internal inspections within the registe Countywide
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council
Linkedin Banner